Gallan Return: Leaving It All Behind
by CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88
Summary: This is not your typical 'Daine goes back to Galla' plot. Its no where near that nice. This is my idea of what could have happened after ROTG. I must admit, its not anything like my usual work. Look inside for a full summary. DN.....RR....
1. Prologue

A/N: Well, I told you guys I'd be back soon with another fic. Here it is! I hope you enjoy it and plz R/R!! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, thus you can't sue me......  
  
Summary: At the end of ROTG, Daine becomens famous in every country for her defeat of Ozorne. Most counties take quite an interest in her. Galla in particular wonders what sort of improvements she could bring their country. They learn everything about her, including her past. They learn that she isn't Tortallan, but Gallan. Knowing that she did not leave their country legally, they order King Jonathan to send her back. At first he refuses, but since they have an alliance with many surrounding countries, Jonathan has no choice but to send Daine away, unless he plans to face a war he cannot win. This story is about what happens when Dain must return to Galla, to stay. Find out how she does with the Gallan royalty, specifically a Gallan prince named Aidan. Its D/N all the way and guarenteed to have more fluff than all the rest of my fics.   
  
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Prince Roshaun of Galla stormed quickly out of the King's chambers. His blue gray eyes burned with tears that fought to be freed. He fought them back with all of the strength he could muster. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't give his father that satisfaction. He hated that man with all of his mind, body and soul. If he thought about it long enough, he was sure that a more evil creature had never walked the Earth. " I hate him!" Roshaun muttered under his breath. His voice came out choked and raspy. There were so many things he didn't understand about his father. He couldn't understand why his father had always hated him. Roshaun had never done anything to earn his father's hate. He'd always been good as a child, always one to follow the rules.  
  
Rosh, as he preferred to be called was a young man of sixteen. He was a handsome with boyish features. His eyes were a brilliant blue gray with thick lashes that would look girlish on anyone else. On Rosh however, they looked gallant. His muscles were well defined from many hours of exercise spent out on the palace grounds or in the hills surrounding the palace on horse back. Rosh had shoulder length hair that was a shining raven black color. His chin slanted out in a stubborn way, making him look almost like his mother out of the face. His nose however was very different from hers. It was long and hooked at the end. His skin was much darker than hers as well. None of his features belonged to his father. Rosh often questioned this, but didn't let the subject bother him all that much. His father was ugly in Rosh's opinion and he wouldn't want to look like him in any case.  
  
Pain still seared up and down Rosh's back and abdomen. Every part of his body ached from previous events. He bore a split lip and a small stream of blood leaked from his nose. These things merely stood as proof of his father's hate for him. He'd been summoned into his father's chambers early that morning and had arrived only to find his father in one of his rages. The King had come at him at full force, bringing done a series of wild punches and kicks in any place he could. After a while, his father had grown bored of this form of beating and had gone for his rawhide whip. This is how things always went. The King then proceeded to beat Roshaun until his back was raw and his body bruised. He had then dismissed him in anger, throwing various objects at the boy as he left the room. This was Rosh's life. This is how things always worked. He rarely saw his father, only once or twice a week, but when he did, it always resulted in a beating.  
  
In his life, there was only one thing that Rosh loved, only one thing he could honestly say loved him back. It was his mother, Queen Veralidaine of Galla. She was always there for him, always. She would reassure him when things with his father became tough. She was always there to help him wash out his cuts after seeing his father. She would even throw in words in his defense. Though she never said anything to his father about his beatings, Rosh still knew she wished it would stop. He also knew she couldn't do anything about it. If she were to ever mention anything to his father, she would likely be beaten and thrown into the dungeons for a long period of time. That was one of the many things Roshaun had in common with his mother. They both hated his father and were hated back.  
  
Rosh had always admired his mother. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, especially for her age. She was average in height, making her a lot shorter than he himself was. Her hair was long and flowing and was a stunning smoky brown color coiled into many curls. Her eyes matched his own, as they were a brilliant blue gray in color. Her long lashes were thick and looked lovely when they beat against her face every time she blinked. Her complexion was not at all like Rosh's for hers was light as was his father's.  
  
Rosh stopped walking for a moment, for he was tired. His fathers beatings always left him weak, barely able to stand let alone able to storm through the palace. He took in a deep breath and leaned against the wall, breathing out. He felt pain sting in his back when he made contact with the wall. He winced and pulled away from the wall so as not to upset his wound. No matter what he did, pain still seared through his entire body, making anything he tried to do painfully unbearable. He closed his eyes and let his mind travel to pleasant places, places he knew he would never see. Even with his eyes closed, he felt a hot tear roll down his face against his will. He fought back the rest of his tears but it did no good. His face was soon wet with his tears as they streamed freely down his face. He felt shame that he was crying where anyone could see. He was a sixteen year old boy and he shouldn't cry. If his father saw him, he would give him another beating. Rosh knew that if he was going to cry, he'd have to go where his father couldn't hurt him. He'd have to goto his mother's chambers.  
  
As soon as the idea hit Rosh, he immediately broke out in a run to get to his mother's chambers. They were on the far end of the palace in the North tower. It was very secluded there, for she was close to being sent into exile. Very rarely did she see her husband the King for he despised her as she did him. It was all on account of some event that took place before Rosh's birth. He'd asked his mother about it before, but she'd always told him that she would tell him about it when he was old enough. Rosh always hated that answer. He wanted to know what had happened between his parents, and he didn't want to wait. He ran through the halls, eyes blinded by tears, praying he wouldn't run into his father or any of his father's nobles on his way.  
  
The run to the North tower was a painful one. During his fight with his father, Rosh had received a sprained ankle among other things and it hurt to put any weight on it, yet alone run across the palace with it. Despite his pains, he made it in good time and was able to stop to regain his breath. He now stood outside the door of his mother's bed chamber. There was a brass name plate on the door that clearly read ' Queen Veralidaine Sarrasri of Galla.' It was commonly known that the Queen had long ago taken on her maiden name after falling out with the King. Somehow, Rosh always knew that her name, Sarrasri was in some way tied into the event that had broken his parents apart before his birth.  
  
Breathlessly, Rosh lifted the brass knocker on the wooden door of the chamber and knocked on it twice. Inside, he could hear a slight groan and then a scurrying of feet. The door opened a crack and he could see the blue gray eyes of his mother looking out in the hall to see who it was.  
  
"Rosh?" she questioned feebly, her voice shaky. He could see her hands quivering as she clung to the door. Since he was little, Rosh could always remember his mother always being in bad health. Some said it was because of guilt, but Rosh felt it was because she was unhappy. He knew she was married to a man that she hated and that was enough to make anyone lose their health.  
  
" Yes, mother, its me," Rosh replied quietly, trying hard to wipe the tears and pain from his voice. The door was immediately opened all the way, revealing his mother standing in the doorway wearing a blue cotton night dress. Her hair was unkempt, her eyes blotted with tears. This was how he had always known his mother, so it hardly seemed to bother him. Today however, it did bother him. He saw her and his heart broke into pieces. This was one of the many vile deeds his father had done. How he hated that man, if he could even be called a man.  
  
" Come in, Rosh," his mother motioned for him to come forward as she stepped out of the doorway to allow him entrance. Rosh did as he was told, ducking to pull his lanky form into her room. He was unusually tall for his age, making him have to duck to get into most doorways at the Gallan palace. " Sit down," his mother pointed towards the bed. He walked over to the bed in a few short strides and sat on the edge. His mother came and sat next to him, a pitying look on her face. She looked at him in a question, asking what had happened though he was sure she already knew.  
  
Rosh looked away from his mother, refusing to meet her eyes. He didn't want her to see his tears, didn't want to give her any reason to become unhappier. He now felt guilty that he had even come to her with his problems. She had many of her own problems to deal with at the moment and he felt he had been selfish to concern her with his own. He could feel her comforting hand on his shoulder, but he would still not look at her. After a while, she put her other arm around him and pulled him gently into the circle of her arms. He rested his head against her chest, having to duck to do so.  
  
" Rosh, sweet tell me what's wrong," she pleaded with her son. She ran her fingers through his mass of black hair and felt a painful reminder of the love she had lost long ago. She immediately wiped those thoughts from her mind and again turned her attention to her son. He needed her now,and it was selfish of her to be thinking about her own worries and woes.  
  
Rosh could take no more. He suddenly broke out in tears, crying freely into his mother's chest. Tears that had threatened to fall upon entering the room were now rolling wildly down his cheeks. He could feel her draw him close to her, gently running her fingers through his hair. She murmured softly to him, trying her best to make him feel better. Rosh pulled his head up to look at his mother. She looked back at him and their gazes met. He could see the sorrow in her eyes, and it pained him even more. "Its father," he said through his tears, fighting back his sobs. " H-he beat me again, mother."  
  
Rosh saw his mother's eyes change instantly. They now flashed with anger. She'd known well about how her husband, Aidan treated Rosh, and she hated it. No matter how much she disliked it though, she knew there was nothing she could do about it. If she were to speak up, Aidan would have her flogged and sent into exile. It was possible that he would even have her killed. She couldn't risk any of these things for she had to live to raise her son. If she died, she knew Rosh would soon follow her. Aidan had always hated the boy. Since the day of Rosh's birth, the King had hated him. Of course Aidan hadn't been the King in those days, but he had still hated him all the same.   
  
Daine, as she preferred to be called had always loved her son. He was her only reminder of a love she lost a long time ago. It was a love that she would never forget, that she would remember all of her days. It was a love Aidan could never give her and a love she would never have again. The only person she came even close to loving as much as her lost love was her son Rosh, but that was a different love. She loved her son very much, and would give her life for him in an instant.  
  
" I'm so sorry, Rosh, dear," she soothed, still running her fingers through his hair and holding him tight. " I wish there was something I can do, but you and I both know there isn't."  
  
Rosh hated hearing these words. He didn't blame his mother, but sometimes he couldn't help but feel a little angry with her for not even trying. " I hate that man! I hate him!" Rosh yelled, his tears still flowing, but this time of anger. Rosh pounded his fist roughly down onto the bed. He pulled suddenly out of his mother's embrace and got to his feet. He began pacing, trying desperately to contain his anger.  
  
Daine wasn't sure how she could help her son. She couldn't go to Aidan about it, she couldn't go to him about anything. She could tell Rosh the truth about his father and then maybe he would understand. What if he hated her for not telling him sooner though? Daine couldn't stand it if the only person she loved hated her. -Yes, but you owe it to him to tell him and he's old enough now- she contradicted herself. Daine shook her head in confusion. Perhaps now was the time she told him. He was, after all, sixteen years old now and a young man. He wasn't a child anymore, so perhaps he could handle it. At this last thought, Daine knew what her decision was. Besides, it was likely the retelling her story to Rosh would help her to get over it all. Yes, she would tell him now.  
  
" Would it help if I told you that Aidan isn't your father?" Daine asked her son almost fearfully. She felt even more nervous when he stopped his pacing and jerked his head around to face her.  
  
Rosh stared at his mother in shock. Had he heard her correctly? He could have sworn she had just told him that Aidan wasn't his father! No, he must be hallucinating. Either that or he was just hoping. Nothing could chance the fact that that evil man was his father. Then a horrifying and also pleasing thought struck Rosh. What if Aidan was never his father to begin with? What if this was the true reason that Aidan despised Rosh so. Now that she had brought this up, Rosh refused to let the subject drop.  
  
" What do you mean?!" he asked anxiously. His eyes were wide in apprehension. It seemed to Rosh that his mother was taking an eternity to answer. The whole time he simply stared at her, not moving an inch. His feet were glued to the floor and he suspected that he couldn't move them if he tried. After a while, Rosh got tired of waiting for an answer. " What do you mean, mother?!" he almost yelled.   
  
Daine looked at him with tear filled eyes and then couldn't bear to look in his eyes any longer. Just looking at him brought back memories. She looked persistently at the floor as if waiting for it to give her answers. When found none, she answered Rosh. " I mean exactly what I said, Rosh. King Aidan of Jerkins Galla is not your father."  
  
Rosh could hardly believe what he was hearing. He wasn't sure if he should jump for joy or if he should yell of fright. All of this was so foreign to him. Though he'd always questioned why he looked nothing like Aidan, he'd never questioned that Aidan was his father. It had always been a common fact to him, whether he liked it or not.  
  
All sorts of new thoughts and ideas and questions were running through Rosh's head. Who was his father? Was his true father a lover of his mother? Did Aidan know about it? Rosh didn't know what to say or ask. He didn't even know if he should speak. He felt like singing with joy for he now knew he was not related to the beast that was the King of Galla. With his joy though, came questions and possibly fear. He wanted to know everything about his father. He wanted to know what he looked like, if he was nice, and if Rosh had ever met him before and just not known who it was.  
  
Rosh finally decided what to ask his mother first, though it was a tough choice. "If Aidan isn't my father, then who is?" he asked quietly. Rosh was surprised at his own self control and his sense of calmness.  
  
Daine took in a deep breath and closed her eyes before answering. She'd known since the day of Rosh's birth that this day would come when he would ask her these questions, but she'd also known that she wasn't ever going to be ready for it. " You're father's name was Numair Salmalin," Daine said quietly. Just saying the name made her lose all control and cry. Tears flowed down her face freely.  
  
Rosh saw that his mother was weeping and he immediately joined her on her bed again. He took her in his arms and did his best to comfort her. He thought over the name she had given him, claiming it was that of his true father. Rosh had met many of the nobles at court, being that he was the prince, but he'd never heard of such a man before. As he held his mother tightly to his chest, he continued to think, still no answer coming to him. Finally, after several minutes of thought, Rosh thought he could recall hearing of such a man. He'd read it in one of the many books of the Royal Library. He couldn't remember anything he'd read though. " Why do you cry, mother?" Rosh asked quietly, stroking her cheek gently with his hand. " Have I hurt you?"  
  
When Daine looked at Rosh, she was constantly reminded of Numair and it hurt. Anything that she could connect with him caused her deep pain. She knew that today, in just a few moments, she would have to tell her story, the story of Numair Salmalin to her son. He deserved to know, and she would keep it from him no longer. She feared having to tell it, for she'd spent the past sixteen years trying to forget it. " No," Daine replied to her son, trying hard to stop the tears from flowing. " No, its not you. Its just the first time I've talked about all of this to anyone since you were born."  
  
" You said his name was Numair Salmalin. What did you mean by was?" Rosh asked, hoping that this too wouldn't make her cry.  
  
" He died before you were born," Daine did her best to hold back her tears, but found it impossible. She was reliving a time in her life that she'd spent many years trying to forget. She'd missed him so much and she'd never stopped missing him.  
  
" My father is dead?" Rosh said stunned. He didn't know what to think. He'd almost been hoping he would get to meet his true father, perhaps get to know him. It was hard to believe he was dead.  
  
" Yes," Daine replied. She uttered a loud sob and threw her head into her hands. She felt her son ease his hands gently over hers and holding them tight. He reminded her so much of Numair. His looks, his voice, his personality. It was as if someone had made a copy of Numair.  
  
" Did you love him?" Rosh asked his mother, assuming that it must be the reason she was so upset.  
  
" I loved him with all of my heart," Daine said through her tears. Rosh could sense longing in his mother's voice. " I always have and I always will. We loved each other so much and yet we were taken from each other."  
  
Rosh didn't know what to say. Within the last half hour, he'd learned things that changed everything he'd grown up believing. He wanted to comfort his mother, but he didn't know how. He'd never fallen in love before, or even courted a young woman for that matter. He didn't know what it felt like to have your heart broken or what it felt like to be separated from a lover. From what he could see, it was the worst pain imaginable. It looked more painful even than the searing pain he was feeling now from his father's beating. -He's not my father- Rosh reminded himself quickly. It would take some getting used to, Aidan not being his real father. A lot of things had changed today for him. Even his name had changed. He was no longer Prince Roshaun of Jerkins, Galla, son of King Aidan of Jerkins, Galla. He was now simply Roshaun Salmalin, son of Numair Salmalin who he knew nothing about. The man could have been a commoner for all Rosh knew. -But I've read the name some where before- Rosh thought to himself. If he'd read the name, then chances are he was no commoner.  
  
" Mother?" Rosh asked, gently pulling his mother out of his arms so that he could look her in the eye. He met her gaze and continued. " I know that you're upset right now, but I need to know. I need to know about this Numair Salmalin you say is my father. I want to know everything about him, everything."  
  
Daine had known this was coming. She'd dreaded it, but she'd known it would come. In many ways, her heart screamed at her to stay silent and not bother telling Rosh about Numair. She didn't want to. It would bring back so many painful memories. There was also a voice in her head that told her that Rosh was ready to know and that she owed it to him. It wouldn't be fair if she told him about his father, but didn't also tell him the story behind it. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and prepared herself for the longest, hardest story of her life. " I understand," she said simply, refusing to meet his gaze. " I owe you an explanation, Rosh and I have every intention of giving it to you. Though it truly started about twenty-four years ago when I first met Numair, the part that truly means anything to you started about twenty years ago when I was your age."  
  
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A/N: Ok, this was only a prologue. Its kinda confusing though cuz I'm having this story start from the end. All the chapters after this except for the last few which will come a LONG time from now will be in the past for Daine. They will take place right after ROTG. 


	2. Daine's Story Begins

A/N: Okay, for anyone who didn't read my last author's note at the end of last chapter, shame on you. I'll go ahead and tell you all the stuff I said in it because it was rather important....  
  
 First off, the last chapter was merely a prologue that started this story from the end. From this chapter on, it will be taking place back in Daine's time with Numair directly after ROTG. It will explain how she ended up where she did and other things like that. In the last few chapters, I will go back to the present for Daine and Rosh and I will show you and ending for them and it will be a happy one....  
  
Disclaimer: Its just like last chapter, I still don't own it and you still can't sue me. I do however own Rosh and Aidan. You haven't really met Aidan and you won't for a while cuz I want to do some good old fluffy chapters first, but you will and you won't like it one bit when you do, I shall warn you now. Anyways, this is a disclaimer and I shouldn't be babbling in it, so I'll stop....  
  
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(A/N: for the first par of this chappy, I'm just gonna rewrite what TP wrote at the end of ROTG...It won't be her exact words though....)  
  
 Veralidaine Sarrasri sat mounted on her shaggy gray mountain pony, Cloud, riding through the battle grounds of the war that had finished only a few hours ago. Bodies' lay scattered everywhere. Daine, as she preferred to be called, could hear and sense stormwings in the distance. They were flying frantically in this direction to play with the dead soldier's bodies no doubt. It made Daine sick to think that any living, breathing creature could do such a thing. She was beginning to question why she had stood up for them in the Divine Realms. -Its their nature, not matter how disgusting and vile it is- Daine told herself, plugging her nose with her spare hand to block out the smell of the vile creatures.  
  
       Daine was getting worried. The whole reason she had risked being found and killed by an enemy soldier left over from the battle was to finder her teacher, friend and lover, Numair Salmalin. She'd been searching for quite some time now and she still had seen no sign of him. From what Onua had told her, the magical glow that signified his battle with the red robed mage, Inar Hadensra had faded out long ago. It had come from this direction, so Daine had come this way to look for her love, despite the known dangers. The fact that the magical battle had faded out could mean one of two things. It could mean that the magical duel had ended and Numair had been killed or it could mean that Hadensra could have been killed. Daine hoped for the latter, for she did not want Numair to be dead.  
  
       "Where is he?" she questioned aloud, voicing her worry.  
  
       -Your storkman is fine, I am sure- Cloud assured Daine.  
  
       " How can you be so sure? He said it himself before he went, Inar Hadensra could have been a black robe just like him if he had wanted to! What if Numair couldn't beat him?" Daine's voice was now quivering with worry. As Daine said this, she walked Cloud through the last of the trees and came into a small clearing.  
  
       "Whoever you are, if you're here to kill me, you'll have to do it while I remain prone," came an all too familiar and welcoming voice nearby. Daine jerked her head around, looking frantically for her love. " Have the decency to be quick about it so I can get back to my rest."  
  
       Daine spotted him under a nearby oak tree. He was lying on the dirt ground, his head sitting up and leaning against the tree trunk. " What I've got in mind isn't near so quick as killing!" she yelled teasingly to get his attention. When he didn't answer right away, she grew worried.  
  
       Finally, she heard him speak in a cracked whisper. " Daine?" despite how quiet his words were, she still heard him loud and clear. Daine didn't wait another second. Within a blink of an eye she was tumbling off of Cloud's back and running with all of her might to meet him. By now he had lurched to his feet and was bracing himself against the trunk of the great oak tree. Daine slammed into him with such impact that his body was driven back and into the tree. He winced in pain and said "That hurt." Daine was about to apologize, but he didn't give her time. He was soon raining kissing up and down her neck and exposed chest. He drew her to him possessively, gripping her shoulders and waist as if he would never let go.  
  
       He finally found her lips and he eased his roughly over her own. She was briefly taken a back by this, but only for a moment. She was soon kissing him back with a passion to match his own. She threw her arms around his neck and leaned into the kiss. He ran his hands up and down her back. Every once in a while, he would teasingly pull at her shirt. It took quite a while for both of them to calm down enough to speak.  
  
       " Daine, will you marry me?" he asked breathlessly, taking her hands into his own. Love could be seen in his eyes very clearly, making Daine feel completely giddy.  
  
       She hadn't expected this at all. She found herself at a loss for words. Various thoughts frantically flew around inside her head. She wanted to marry Numair, she really did, but was she ready? What if he woke up and saw her as a child when he wanted a woman? She didn't want that, but how could she be sure that wouldn't be how things would work out. Daine knew that she couldn't give him a for certain answer just now. She just wasn't ready yet. "Maybe someday," she said with a smile. Just looking at this man brought a smile to her lips. " But only if you're very very good." She giggled at this last comment, earning a mock smile from her love.  
  
       He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately, pulling away to draw in air and then coming back. He caressed her lips with his own, teasingly. He smiled into the kiss when he felt her tracing his lips with her tongue. He thrust out his tongue to touch it against hers. The kiss went on for some time. Finally, he pulled away again, gasping. "What if I'm very very bad?" his tone was breathless, his voice raspy, sending chills of pleasure up Daine's spine.  
  
       " Still, maybe someday, but you're welcome to try and make it sooner," she said, giggling profusely. Numair didn't need telling twice. He'd pulled her to him in the blink of an eye, easing his lips over hers quicker than lightning. She giggled into his mouth, earning a smile from him. He brought his free hand up to her face and stroked her cheek lovingly. She leaned in closer, trying to melt her body into his. She felt a sense of floating on air as he lifted her off of her feet, never breaking the kiss. Just when Daine thought she might burst from the passion and pleasure building up in her chest, she felt Cloud nip the back of her shirt in protest.  
  
       Daine pulled away from Numair suddenly, ignoring his groan of protest and his attempt to pull her back.  "Cloud! " Daine exclaimed, gasping for breath as she recovered from the last kiss she had shared with Numair. " Don't bite!"  
  
       -Kitten is bringing Tkaa and Onua here, so I suggest you two settle down- Cloud said as she stomped the ground idly with her hoof.  
  
       " What did she say?" Numair asked, recognizing the blank look Daine got when she was talking to one of the people.  
  
       " She said we need to settle down," Daine said, laughing at the mare's words. " Kitten is bringing Tkaa and Onua to come help us."  
  
       Numair sighed in disappointment. He then proceeded to cross his arms in a mock pout; his eyes had a look of defeat. " Well then I suppose I shall have to work on persuading you to marry me at a later time when things are more private," he said teasingly. There was an unmistakable burning desire in his voice. It sent shivers up Daine's spine and made her feel a matching desire. She merely nodded, for the heat of desire was swamping her to the point that she didn't trust herself to speak.  
  
      " Daine?" Numair's voice grew more serious. "Are we going to tell people about, well, us?"  
  
       Daine hadn't thought of that until just now. What would their friends think? Would they accept them as lovers? Somehow, Daine had a feeling that their close friends like Jon, Thayet, Onua and Alanna would accept them, but what about the court? Daine and Numair had always been a subject for gossip among the court nobles, palace maids and servants, but that had only been when they were teacher and student. She didn't even want to think of the rumors that would fly if they knew that Daine and Numair had fallen in love.   
  
       " I don't know, Numair," Daine said as she continued to think on it. From his tone when he asked her the question, he didn't seem ready to reveal their relationship either. They were both unsure of what the outcome would be. "Wouldn't it be a little awkward for them to have seen us leave a month ago as teacher and student and come back as lovers?"  
  
" I see your point," Numair said thoughtfully. Daine smiled when he reached up and gave his nose a small tug. Years of living around Numair had taught her that when he did that, he was about ready to give her a load of knowledge. " If it's all right with you, I think that we should keep this just between us, for now at least."  
  
       " I agree whole heartedly," Daine said quickly. They stood in silence for a moment and Numair again pulled Daine close. He captured her lips with his own in a passionate kiss. Daine was taken by surprise when he did this, but enjoyed it all the same. She gave into his passion for just a moment, but pulled away and pushed him back before she lost herself in desire.   
  
         
  
       Numair looked at her with disappointment and sighed. Daine saw this and laughed. Numair shot her a quizzical look and Daine stood on the tips of her toes to lean in to give him one last quick kiss on the cheek. Numair looked even more puzzled, causing Daine to laugh even harder. " You know, if we are supposed to still be student and teacher around the others, then we should start acting the part. Onua, Tkaa and Kit could walk in on us any second," Daine said as she fought not to laugh at his expression. He now stared at her with mock anger and folded his arms stubbornly. Seeing his look, Daine added, " Besides, I thought we had decided to calm down several minutes ago."  
  
       " That's it!" Numair exclaimed throwing his arms into the air. " I can only take so much torture from you!" Before Daine knew what was happening, he had dove straight at her, all tiredness from his duel forgotten. Being around Daine always seemed to give him a new burst of energy. He soon had her pinned against the ground, one leg over each of her arms. Daine laughed, but gave him a look of surrender.  
  
       " I surrender," she said breathlessly. Numair smiled in victory. He let go of her arms and let all of his weight fall down onto her. "NUMAIR!" Daine yelled from under him. " Get off!"  
  
       Daine pushed on his chest with all of her might, but couldn't get him to move an inch. Because of his size, he was much heavier than her. Numair simply watched her and smiled down at her teasingly. He brought his face down closer to hers until their noses were touching. Daine giggled as he blew on her face teasingly. Just as he was about to bring his lips down onto hers, they heard a rustling in the bushes and the sound of voices coming from somewhere close by. Numair's eyes grew wide and he immediately rolled off of Daine. He stood to his feet and scanned the area with his eyes for any sign of who had caused the disturbance. Though he was sure it was Onua and Tkaa, he was worried of what would happen if it were a group of enemy soldiers. He was completely drained and there was no way he could protect Daine from them.  
  
       Numair stole a glance back at Daine, who was looking in the direction the noise had come from with just as much curiosity. She slowly got to her feet and came to stand by Numair. Just as she reached him, again she heard voices, but this time she heard clearly what they were saying.  
  
       " Daine!" yelled a familiar voice that Daine knew belonged to Onua. "Numair!"  
  
       Numair recognized the voice of the horse mistress as well, for he called out to her, " We're over hear, Onua!"  
  
       Moments after he had called out to her, a large palomino warhorse stepped through the brush and into the clearing. Mounted on the horse was Onua Chamtong. She had the reigns of two other mounts tied to her saddle horn. Standing beside her horse was Tkaa the basilisk who carried Kit. Daine smiled when Onua turned her head and spotted them. She stole a glance at Numair, who was now looking even more tired than he had when she'd found him. He'd worn himself out too soon, Daine thought. She shook her head at this thought, a smile on her face.  
  
       " What are you smiling about?" Onua asked curiously. She'd ridden over to where Daine and Numair stood with Tkaa and Kitten not far behind.  
  
       Daine looked up in surprise. " N-nothing," she said nervously. She would have to be more careful around Onua. She couldn't act like she was in love.  
  
       Onua raised an eyebrow at the girl before turning to Numair. He was leaning against Onua's mount, his legs shaking with exhaustion. Daine watched as he slowly sunk to the ground. He lay his head down against the soft grass and sighed, causing both Onua and Daine to laugh.  
  
       "Do you think we could get out of here now? I'm rather tired," he said pleadingly. Daine crouched down next to him and helped him sit up, letting his headrest in her lap.  
  
       " Did you bring an extra canteen of water?" Daine asked Onua. The horse mistress nodded and tossed Daine a flask of water from her belt. Daine opened the flask and put it to Numair's lips. He drank it thankfully until it was almost gone. " Do you think you can manage to hang onto Spots?" he nodded. Daine snaked an arm around his waist and helped Numair to his feet.  
  
       " Do you need any help, Daine?" Onua asked as she watched Daine lift Numair off the ground and to his feet. Daine shook her head and continued. She let Numair lean on her as she walked him over to Spots. She lifted his leg into the stirrup and with some difficulty, lifted him fully into the saddle. Once he was positioned correctly to ride, he turned to look at Daine and winked, his eyes drooping with sleep. It was hard to believe that just moments ago he had been able to tackle Daine to the ground. -He over worked himself too soon- Daine thought with some amusement.  
  
       She turned away from Numair and mounted Cloud. " Ready, Daine?" Onua called from her mount. Daine nodded, not really in the mood for speaking for like Numair, she felt exhaustion from the day's events beginning to set in. She gave Cloud the signal to go, and together, Onua, Numair, Daine, Tkaa and Kit set off into the distance and back toward the castle. This had been a long day, one that no one would soon forget.  
  
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A/N: Well? I told you this chapter would be less depressing than the first! I hope none of you guys are thoroughly confused.... I thought of an easy way to think of it. If you've seen 'Just Married' then you know that the movie started in the end when they had the fight, but then it flashed back to when they met and it showed all the events that led up to their big fight and then it went to the resolve of their fight. Well that is exactly how this fic is set up. I started at the end, and I'm having Daine relive what happened that lead up to that by telling Rosh her story. It will eventually get back to Daine and Rosh. Get it? If not, then IM me at JoviJunkie12188 or email me at lumina12188@aol.com and I'll try to explain it better...oh, and don't forget to review!!! I have many more chapters written, but I refuse to post a single word unless I get plenty of reviews!! ^_^ 


	3. A Whole Lot Of Telling

A/N: Well? Didn't I tell you guys the 2nd chapter would be fluff, not depressing? And wasn't I right? Well in case you're still not convinced, then here's yet another fluff session for you! Ha!  
  
Just so you know, this fic isn't going to exactly have a plot for the next few chapters.  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own it, but hey, I do own a few characters so ha! I own Rosh and Aidan! I'll own some more soon too!   
  
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       The ride from the battle field was a short one. If not for the many bodies and other debris of battle littered as far as the eye could see, it would have been faster. Daine didn't remember much of the ride except for a short talk with Onua, and then falling asleep with her head against Cloud's neck not long after. She was fair tired from her battle with Ozorne. Even though Gainel's coat had successfully healed all of her battle wounds, it hadn't kept her from complete exhaustion of which she was now beginning to feel the affects.   
  
       They're silent ride had come to an end for they were finally back at the main fort of Port Legann. It was one of the countries larger forts and was well known for its advanced defense techniques. Daine had been here only once before, and that had been just two days ago when she had been separated from Numair to become a messenger and spy for the King. Daine had missed him dearly the entire time she had been separated from him, but she now rested assured that things would be better now that they were together at the same fort.  
  
       Daine felt a pang of home sickness. She missed living at the palace in Corus. It had been her home since her Ma had died five years ago. She had made so many memories at the palace. Daine wondered how much different her home would be for her now that the relationship between herself and Numair had changed. She knew of course, that anything that went on between them would have to be entirely a secret, but she still knew her whole out look on things would be different. - different in a better way- she told herself with a smile. Yes, even though she knew she wouldn't be returning to the palace for another week, Daine still missed it.  
  
       "I'll show you to the Healer's tent," Onua said to Daine as they rode into the fort. Riders of the Own were sitting in any available spot everywhere Daine looked. She recognized many of them, but was much to tired to speak to any of them. The fort was filled with supplies too, Daine noticed, for a shipment from Carthak had arrived not more than a week before the war was over. " That's where most mages and leaders from the palace are resting and you and Numair look fair tired, Daine." Daine barely heard what the older woman was saying. She simply nodded, not caring where she was to sleep, just that she got to sleep. Onua lead Daine and Numair through the fort all the way to the back. Out of the corner of her eye, Daine noticed Onua point to the entrance to a small room ahead of them. It had no door, just a piece of torn canvas attached to the door frame. She pulled back the flap of a canvas door and took Daine and Numair into a room crammed with cots. Spare pillows and blankets were littered all over the floor and the aisles, along with unneeded clothing. There was a dirt floor beneath them, as there was in every other part of the fort that was located on ground level. The upper levels had the luxury of a wood floor, made of sanded down planks, reinforced by oak wood beams. Though the fort was not the best looking, not did it have high quality features, it was the largest and safest fort in Tortall. It was built for the highest amount of protection, not for the highest comfort. If it hadn't been for Legann's advanced defense features, the fort would have fallen long ago. So far, it still stood on its original base, never having been destroyed or severely harmed to the point of reconstruction.   
  
       Onua led Daine and Numair to two cots in a secluded corner, near the back of the small room. The cots were low to the ground, and overall extremely bare. Folded at the foot of each cot was a thin blanket and stacked on top of the blanket was a small pillow. Daine plopped herself down without even bothering to pull back the covers. She was too exhausted to think of doing anything else. Without a word, she heard Onua leave them there, her foot steps echoing as she left. Daine was grateful the older woman hadn't stayed to question them, for story telling was among the things Daine cared to do the least just now. She knew that Onua and the others must have been worried for her and Numair, but there wasn't anything she could do about it just now, not when she was this tired. She ached from head to toe from her exhaustion. She felt the battle beginning to toll on her and new she needed rest and perhaps one of Alanna's healing messes. Just the mere thought of having to swallow on of the Lady Knight's infamous messes made Daine's stomach roll and her lips curl into a frown.  
  
       Daine rolled onto her side and carefully pulled back the blanket and sheets. She tucked herself into the bed and fluffed her pillow a bit. Once she was rather comfortable, despite the harsh conditions, she turned onto her side and stole one last glance back at Numair. He lay on his cot, his lanky body tucked in. He was facing her, his eyes drooping with the sleep that threatened to overtake him. He managed to flash her a small smile before he let exhaustion take over. " Good night, Magelet," he said with a yawn. He rolled onto his side, his back now facing Daine before promptly falling asleep.  
  
       " Good night, Numair," Daine replied half heartedly. She yawned one last time before letting her eyes slowly close, opening her mind to a land of dreaming. She ventured into sleep, mind intent on the fact that the war was over and soon she would be home. She would be home to the start of a new life, with a new love. Daine had a feeling that the best part of her life had just started.  
  
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(A/N: 3 days later.......)  
  
       Daine awoke from her deep sleep feeling refreshed. Though she hadn't slept on a soft feather bed, but instead a cot with merely a thin blanket and a slip of a pillow, she still felt more at ease than she had in quite a while. She knew that as soon as she opened her eyes to welcome the day, her life would be different. The war was over now, and she would no longer be sent off into the countryside to fight. There would be no more being sent away from Numair for long periods of time and no more uncertainty. She would be free to stick to her own activities for a while, especially after the clean up for the war was done.  
  
       With a slight groan, Daine stretched out her limbs, her toes barely sticking over the edge of the cot. With a smile she thought of how Numair's legs had probably hung over the edge throughout his entire rest. Daine felt a sudden longing to see how her love had faired. She wondered if he was even awake yet and if so, how long he'd been up. For that matter, she wondered how long she'd been asleep herself. She blinked her eyes open sleepily, and then shut them again quickly when she realized how bright the room was. She opened her eyes slowly several times before her eyes had adjusted to the light. Daine then sat up, resting her palms against the cot to hold herself up. She turned her head to see if Numair was awake yet or if he still slept. She almost fell back onto her cot at what she saw.   
  
       The cot next to her that, upon her falling asleep, that had once occupied Numair now held what looked to be the form of a man, but it was far from it. The only thing human about this creature was its head. Where there should have been arms, there were large metal wings. Where there should have been legs and feet, there were talons. There was no mistaking that what lay next to Daine was not a man at all, but a stormwing. What frightened Daine the most though, was not the fact that it was a stormwing, but that it was a very familiar stormwing, a stormwing that she herself watched die. It was none other than the once Emperor Mage of Carthak, Ozorne.   
  
       Daine wanted to scream at the site, but feared she might wake her sleeping enemy. Many wild thoughts ran through her mind. What was he doing here and how could he still be alive? Where was Numair? Surely if Numair was alive and well, he wouldn't have allowed the Healers to leave Ozorne unguarded with Daine. To keep herself from uttering a sound that could easily be her last, Daine covered her lips with her hand. She carefully and quietly pulled back her blanket, revealing her body still dressed in her dirty, battle worn clothes. She then slowly and tenderly swung her legs over the edge of her cot. She didn't care how or why Ozorne was here, she would get out.  
  
       Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the coldness of a razor sharp metal wing brushing her side. Her body slammed into what seemed to be a jagged piece of sheet metal. Daine jerked her head around in fright to see that Ozorne was now awake, his wing blocking her exit.  
  
       "Going somewhere, Veralidaine?" the stormwing uttered evilly, baring his teeth at her menacingly. All plans of silence forgotten, Daine let out the loudest shriek she'd ever screamed in her life. Her scream carried throughout the Healers Wing and even into the battle grounds, she was sure.  
  
      "Magelet," came Numair's voice. It was distant, as though in another dimension. Daine felt someone shaking her arm gently. She continued to scream, knowing that even though she could hear her love, she was not safe whilst Ozorne was near. " Magelet, you're having a dream, wake up." came Numair's voice again. This time, Daine felt her mind pull back into reality and return to her body. She opened her eyes in a flash to reveal that she was back in the Healer's Wing, Numair standing over her with a worried look.   
  
       " Are you all right?" he asked as he gripped her shoulders gently. Daine simply nodded, wiping the sweat from her brow.  
  
       "Yes," Daine said as she regained her breath. " I suppose that I'll be having dreams like that for a while. After all, I did just kill Ozorne."  
  
       "I should think so," Numair said, sitting  down at the foot of her bed, his hand still entangled in her own. Daine sat up and scooted over until she was next to him, leaning her body against his lanky form.  
  
       "How long have we slept?" Daine asked. She glanced around the room to see the moonlight shining in through the canvas door. Daine and Numair were the only ones left in this particular room. Daine assumed the others had either been healed or possibly moved to a new tent.  
  
       "I have no idea," Numair said with a yawn. Glancing once at the tent flap to make sure no one was about, he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Daine leaned into him, resting contentedly against his shoulder. To Numair, it felt so good to be able to hold her freely like this. It was hard to believe how drastically his trip into the Divine Realms had changed his life. It was all for the better though. Before the trip, he'd merely been Daine's teacher, her friend at most. Now however, he'd become more than that. He'd become her love and she his. -She was my love long before that- Numair corrected himself. It was true though. Numair had loved her for a very long time. In fact, it was hard to pin point an exact time when he actually admitted such feelings to himself, but that didn't really matter now. All that mattered was that he was now free to express his feelings to her, and spend the rest of his life with her as he had every intention of doing.  
  
       "We should probably go back to sleep again until morning," Daine said, yawning sleepily. She wished she could just curl up with Numair on his cot to sleep the rest of the night, but it wouldn't be a good idea, not when they could easily be found out by the Healers and anyone else who entered the tent.  
  
       Numair simply nodded at Daine's suggestion, pulling her closer and swiftly kissing her forehead before pulling away and returning to his own bed. Daine watched him go, not moving from the edge of her bed. She watched as he stretched his lanky form out onto the cot, the moon light shining on his handsome features, highlighting them. His cot was a few inches too short for his six feet five inches, making his feet hang over the edge completely. Daine smiled at this before leaning back until she was again laying on the cot. She pulled her blanket up over her legs until it was up by her chest and promptly rolled over onto her side. She then closed her eyes once more and returned to her slumber that had been so rudely interrupted by her dreams.  
  
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       Daine awoke the next morning to the sunlight leaking into the room through the canvas door. Feeling rather refreshed from her long rest, Daine opened her eyes to welcome the day. Being that the room had no windows, Daine could not look out a window to see what time of the day it was, the only light came in through the slits of the canvas door. Daine slid her arms out from underneath her blanket, pushing herself up with them so that she was now sitting up. She turned her head to see if her love still slept and found that he was indeed still asleep, his lanky form still spread over the cot. It looked as though he'd had plenty of dreams himself and had been tossing and turning, for his hair was tousled and his blanket half falling off of his lanky form. His right leg hung over the edge of the cot and onto the floor. The whole scene was rather comical, causing Daine to smile. She wanted to imprint this memory firmly in her mind, for it was a funny one.  
  
       After deciding not to wake up Numair, Daine threw off her blanket and swung her legs over the bed. She'd already disturbed his sleep in the late hours of the night before, so she thought it best if she left him to sleep for now. It was likely that he was far more tired than she, for he hadn't had the healing coat of Gainel to help heal his battle wounds as Daine had. He'd fought a hard battle from what he'd told Daine, perhaps his hardest yet.  
  
       With this in mind, Daine rose from her cot and stretched out her arms, leaning over and causing her back to pop. She sighed contentedly, but frowned when she heard her stomach growl in hunger. She hadn't a notion how long she's been asleep, but it must have been quite a while, for her intense hunger. -I'd best go find some food-she told herself, making her way quietly out of the Healer's Wing. She glanced back once before exiting. She glanced over the room, seeing many familiar faces sleeping soundly. She saw many of the Riders she's known from the Own and also some knights and their squires.   
  
       Daine made her way out of the room, pushing back the canvas door as she went. As soon as she'd made her way out, she came into a wide open space, the light from the sun of mid day shining brightly in her face. Though the amount of space contained by the fort was large, it was concealed by the fort's walls. It was scurrying with life everywhere the eye could see, movement in every direction. There were soldiers everywhere she looked, all on some sort of duty. There were horses and livestock kept penned left and right. Daine also saw piles upon piles of supplies stacked everywhere. In one corner, barrels of apples and a few other foods sat tied in bundles. Next to it, Daine saw bags of flour, rice, grain and wheat stacked neatly and waiting to be used.   
  
       A chicken coop was built not far from where the other livestock was penned, the occupants clucking madly, feathers flying. -Stupid chickens- Daine thought to herself, recalling the brainless creatures who had stood in the path of the skinners. Next to the chicken coop was a small wooden bench. A lone figure sat on that bench, one that Daine recognized very well. The figure was short and stocky, her head covered in flaming red hair and her eyes a shining purple. It was her friend, the Lioness and King's Champion who sat on the bench, Alanna of Pirate's Swoop. Having not seen her friend in months, Daine ran with all of her might to reach her. Stumbling all the way and stirring up dust as she went, she reached Alanna with a wide smile on her face.   
  
       Hearing the commotion made by Daine, the Lady Knight looked up just in time to see a flash of smoky brown curls run to her and sweep her into her arms. " Daine!" Alanna voiced with glee. She hugged the young woman back, squeezing her shoulders tightly to her chest. " By the Goddess! I haven't seen you in months!"  
  
       " I missed you too, Alanna," Daine said excitedly as she pulled out of the knight's arms and took a place on the bench beside Alanna.   
  
       "Where on Earth have you and that sanity lacking teacher of yours been?!" Alanna asked anxiously, her eyes flashing with curiosity. Daine smiled at the name Alanna had chosen for Numair. " Jon had several units of the Own out searching for the two of you for two months! Last anyone saw of you was when you two went off to fight those skinners!"  
  
       "Two months?!"Daine almost shouted. She'd had no idea she and Numair had been in the Divine Realms for such a time. For them, only a few weeks had passed, not even a month yet alone two! -Time must pass differently there- Daine thought, putting two and two together. " From what I could tell, we were only gone for two weeks!"  
  
       " No, Daine. It was definitely two months," Alanna said, her face serious. She remembered all the days she'd spent worrying for her friends and praying to every god and goddess she could name that they were still alive and safe, that they would return home soon. " I stand by my previous question. Where were you two? You had me, and every other friend you left behind worried sick! We all thought you were dead!"  
  
       "Its a long story, Alanna," Daine said, wondering how she was going to avoid mentioning several important events to her friend if she was forced to tell the story. Both she and Numair had agreed not to tell anyone about their new found love, and that included Alanna. Daine knew she could confide in the woman and in a way she wanted to tell her about how she loved Numair, but she was also afraid of what her friend might think. There was a chance that Alanna and all of Daine and Numair's other friends wouldn't approve of them being together. They might think Numair was too old for Daine, and she too young for him. They might think that what Daine and Numair had fallen into was extremely inappropriate. The thought of this terrified Daine, for she cared a great deal about what her friends thought. They had taken her in when she was shunned away everywhere else. After being hunted by her own village because they thought she lacked sanity, Daine didn't think she could stand losing the support of her Tortallan friends. She wondered what Numair's reaction would be if they did turn on the couple. Would he still believe in their love? What if he too turned his back on her? Daine knew that if this were to happen, she would be heart broken and it wasn't likely she could live. There would be a void spot in her heart that Numair had once occupied. He was the man she had given her heart too, and she couldn't stand to lose him. She depended on his love more than she'd like to admit.  
  
       "Well believe me, Daine, I have all the time in the world," Alanna said, chuckling. "What with the war over, there isn't much expected of me except to supervise what's going on at all of the different forts and I'll be stationed at Legann for quite some time seeing as its Tortall's largest."  
  
       "Well, I suppose it is an interesting enough story and you'd probably enjoy hearing it," Daine said with some uncertainty. She knocked away all of her fears and began telling her friend exactly what had happened. " It all started when Jonathan sent me and Numair to fight the skinners."  
  
       It took Daine almost a full hour to tell Alanna the whole story. The lady knight had sat patiently and listened to every word. She'd found it interesting, for she'd stared intently at Daine the whole time, giving her her full attention. Daine was grateful, and now felt better now that she'd told at least one person about her unusual trip. She had, of course, left out a few chosen events from her tale, but other than that, everything had been entirely truthful. Alanna need not know about Numair and Daine's relationship, at least not yet, Daine decided.  
  
       "That sounded like quite a journey, Daine," Alanna said, eyes wide in amazement after having heard Daine tell her about her trip to the Divine Realms. Alanna had experienced many strange and abnormal things in her life, having been the chosen of the Goddess, but never anything like this. The Goddess had never transported her into the Divine Realms or even permitted her to leave any Realm but the mortal one for that matter. That brought Alanna to a new thought. Daine's parents were gods. This was extraordinary news, nothing to be taken lightly. It had been one thing to learn that Daine had one parent who was likely a god, but it was another thing all together to learn for certain that both of her parents were gods. It wasn't everyday that one came across a god-born human. Daine was a blessing to Tortall, in many ways.  
  
     "It was, " Daine said, almost breathlessly so as to prove her point. " Believe me, it was."  
  
       "How does it feel to finally know who your father is?" Alanna asked with some curiosity. Though Daine had been the one telling the story, Alanna still had no idea what the young woman made of all this. She wondered if Daine even liked the idea of knowing her father. She'd never mentioned anything before about wanting to find him.  
  
       "I already had a notion that he was the God of the Hunt," Daine said truthfully. On her trip to Carthak a year and a half previous to now, Daine had learned through dreams and through several of the emperor's slaves that she was the daughter of a god. " The real shock for me was learning that my Ma was a goddess. I'd never had imagined that the woman who used to care for me as a girl would ever be a goddess."  
  
       "I can only imagine," Alanna said, chuckling at this statement. She idly curled a strand of her bone straight red hair around her finger. " Though I never knew my mother, I could never see her as a goddess."  
  
       "I never knew you never had a mother," Daine said in bewilderment. This was news to her. Could it be true that her hero and friend, the great Lioness of Tortall had never met her mother just as up until a few weeks ago, Daine had met her father?  
  
       "Well now you know," Alanna said in an off hand sort of way. It wasn't something she enjoyed speaking of, for deep down there had always been a part of her that blamed herself for what had happened to her mother. It wasn't something she was proud of at all. " She died giving birth to Thom and I. Its proof that twins are usually too difficult for a first pregnancy. Elani Cooper and also Rispah have both served as a womanly figure in my life, but for the most part, I feel I had no real need for a mother. I have to admit though, that at times, not having a mother meant not knowing anything about bodily changes females have at a certain age."  
  
       There was an awkward silence. Both sat without a word to the other, for neither knew what would be best to say. Daine stared off into the distance, trying hard to think of something new to talk about. She smiled suddenly when she looked over toward the Healer's Wing and saw a tall, lanky figure ducking his head to step through the door of the Healer's Wing, pushing back the canvas door as he went. He made his way over to where the two women sat. Daine scooted closer to Alanna to make room for her love. He nodded gratefully to her and took a seat to her right while Alanna still sat to Daine's left. He longed to reach for her hand and entangle it in his own, but thought better of it.  
  
       " Well look who finally decided to wake up," Alanna said mockingly, patting Numair on the shoulder. He smiled politely before giving her a look of mock offense.  
  
       "Please excuse me, Sir Alanna if it is a crime for the top mage in the country to take a well earned rest after being drug through the Divine Realms and then made to battle a red robed mage," Numair said mockingly, causing Alanna to grin even wider. Daine smiled as she listened to the two squabble. She'd always found it rather amusing to hear both mage and knight argue.  
  
       "Yes, Daine told me all about your little journey, Master Salmalin," Alanna said, using his formal name jokingly. She expected to earn an angry glare from the mage or even a snide remark, but she received nothing of the sort. The only reaction he gave at hearing her words was to flash a worried glance at Daine. Though it had been a quick gesture, Alanna had still read it very clearly. The mage had glanced at his student as if in question as to what she had revealed to Alanna, that much was obvious. The only question Alanna had was what this meant. Why would it matter to him that Daine had told Alanna of their trip to the Divine Realms? Could it be possible that there was something Daine wasn't telling Alanna, something that both Daine and Numair didn't want her to know about? It certainly seemed to be that way, and Alanna was determined to find out what. Even as she thought of all the ways she could find their secret, she could hear Faithful's voice growling in her head not to meddle in other's affairs if what they're doing has caused no harm. Alanna knew there was much truth in the cat's words, but being the curious person she was, she couldn't just stay out of this. She had a feeling that what they were keeping from her was a very interesting secret indeed. How could it not be when it concerned the Divine Realms?  
  
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A/N: Well there you go....Installment number two of Daine's story to Rosh...Keep in mind that this fic is going to be long and that Daine isn't exactly telling Rosh every single detail that I give you. If she did that, then she and Rosh would be sitting on her bed talking for quite some time!  
  
       As usual, don't forget to review, or I'll be forced to stop updating......You wouldn't want that would you? *grins evily* ^_^ 


	4. More Telling

A/N: I've got a feeling that this chappy is going to suck.....I mean at the moment I'm sick with the flu, and I'm baby-sitting Dean and Brandon. Now you want a bad job, babysit for those idiots! They are so evil, especially Dean! I often wonder if the little turkey even has a fraction of a heart....  
  
Anywayz, I hope you like this chapter, though I doubt that you will.....  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own any of TP's characters and I probably (definitely) never will.....*sighs*  
  
***SPECIAL NOTE***  
  
I want to take a quick moment to thank my reviewers...I luv you guys! That is, I love you all except for simon. Simon, if you're reading this, you are a jerk to say the least and if you are reading this, it is like Tequila said, we are going to use your flame to have a BBQ!!!  
  
Oh and I may have forgotten to say so b4, but this fic is dedicated to my newborn niece, Jocelyn born 9/23/03!!! ^_^  
  
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" Alanna, how long have Daine and I been sleeping?" Numair asked the Lady knight curiously. He still felt rather weak, so he assumed it couldn't have been all that long.  
  
" For a whole week, laddy buck," Alanna said, jokingly using one of her many nicknames for Numair. Numair was in shock. How could they have slept a full week? It was true, he'd been tired, one could even say exhausted, but how could he have slept for a week? This didn't make very much sense to Numair, but why should it when nothing else has lately?  
  
" A whole week? Did I hear you right?" Daine asked in barely more than a whisper. Numair heard every word of it, for he sat with his body pressed closely to hers, perhaps a little to close for just a student and teacher. Close enough to arouse suspicion from a certain lady knight.  
  
" You heard me right," Alanna said, her mind not with her as she spoke. She was busy studying the behavior of her friends. She hadn't missed how close they sat. Something was very different about the two of them, of that much she was certain, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Though the signs were clear, Alanna just didn't put two and two together in her mind as she should have. To her, it seemed impossible, even though she had had her suspicions of such a thing before now.  
  
The trio sat in silence for several minutes, no one knowing what to say. All of them were feeling rather awkward just now, though none of them knew why, nor did they know that the other two were feeling much the same. Finally, Alanna spoke up, the silence was beginning to get to her. " The two of you must be starving," she said good naturedly, " Why don't we go find something for you to eat?"  
  
Daine was relieved that the silence had been broken. She been too afraid to speak, too afraid that her secret would be revealed. She felt her stomach growl in hunger, and she knew her friend had made an accurate suggestion. " Come to think of it, Alanna, I'm fair hungry. What about you Numair?" Daine answered Alanna and then questioned Numair.  
  
" Starved," he said, rising from the bench and breaking contact with Daine. Daine followed suit, and Alanna was soon to follow. She stretched out her arms and massaged her side, which was soar from too much riding.  
  
" I'll show the two of you to the mess hall," Alanna said in an off hand sort of way. Since she had nothing else of importance to do today, she would dedicate her time to solving the mystery of her friends behavior. The new found idea that there was something new and peculiar about them would eat at her brain until she did something about it, so she had better do it sooner rather than later. If she was lucky, she'd solve the little mystery fast.  
  
Alanna led Daine and Numair away from the bench outside the Healer's Wing and towards the other side of the vast amount of space the fort's walls surrounded. They were led past the live stock and past the piles of supplies, until they reached another canvas door that was held up by its wooden door frame. The lady knight pulled back the canvas flap and entered into a room much larger than the Healer's Wing. It was filled with long wooden tables with benches attached to sit on. The tables were made to hold a large amount of people which was perfect for a soldier's mess hall. Daine could smell the tasty aroma of the food cooking from within the kitchen. She smelled potatoes being fried along with sausage, bacon, eggs and hot cakes. It made Daine's mouth water with hunger. She hadn't eaten in a full week, making her more than just a little hungry. She felt as if she could eat enough food to feed every man on every ship of a full fleet of the King's navy. At the far end of the room, There was yet another canvas door that Daine assumed led to the kitchen. The room was not crowded with men and women, for most had already eaten at the correct meal time. Daine and Numair had slept until mid day, so they were only now eating.  
  
" You have no idea how welcoming that smell is," Numair said, his voice filled with longing. He earned a laugh from Daine, causing Alanna to shoot them a side long glance of curiosity, for she hadn't heard the mage's remark.  
  
" What? Do I have something in my teeth?" Alanna asked self-consciously for she assumed they were laughing at her. When they both refused to stop laughing, she took a step toward them and kicked Numair hard in the shins. He yelped in pain and lost his balance, falling backward and onto the floor. He hit the ground bottom first, causing a loud thump. Alanna held a satisfied look as she looked down on him. Daine too was laughing. Numair hung his head in shame and embarrassment, his face a deep shade of crimson under his tanned Tyran skin. " Finally, Numair! I can look down on you instead of up!" Alanna said mockingly, flashing him an innocent grin. Numair jerked his head up at hearing the woman's comment and grumbled angrily, his eyes blazing with anger.  
  
"I'll get you for that, Alanna," he spat, causing Alanna to laugh all the harder, Daine as well.  
  
" And just what are you going to do about it, mage?" she asked, voicing her challenge. He flashed her a knowing smile, causing her to frown in confusement.  
  
The ceiling of the ground level rooms of the fort was considerably low. Anyone over six feet in height could easily reach up and touch the ceiling. Numair noticed this and used it to his advantage as he rose slowly to his feet. He gave Alanna the most innocent look he could muster as he reached up to touch the ceiling. The Lioness looked at him in confusement, not understanding what his purpose was for touching the ceiling. She watched as he ran his fingers along the oak wood beam that wasn't far above his head. The whole time his face held a knowing look, frustrating Alanna.  
  
Daine watched the two with some amusement. She had seen them at war many times before and she always found it to be an excellent source of entertainment. Daine kept her distance from them as she watched. She had learned from personal experience that it was always best to keep her distance and let them fight alone. She wondered what Numair was up to, but from the look on his face she knew it was some sort of clever revenge he'd conjured in his head.  
  
Numair didn't keep the two women waiting long to find out what he had planned, for he was soon ready to pull it off. Within the blink of an eye, Numair had brought his hand down from the beam, his fist clenched around something. His face bore a look of triumph as he flung his closed fist towards Alanna, looking at first as if he was trying to punch the lady knight. It wasn't until Daine saw the look of horror on the Lioness's face that Daine knew what Numair's intentions were. Inside the mage's clenched fist was a large spider that he'd found in a cob web up on the beam. Daine smiled knowingly as she watched her love fling the spider onto Alanna's chest. It was a well known fact that Alanna had a great fear of spiders and many people, namely Numair, chose to take advantage of this fact.  
  
A loud scream split the air as Alanna began dashing in circles, panicking. Numair took a step back and moved to Daine's side at a fair and safe distance away. Together, mage and magelet watched their friend screaming and squirming frantically. The knight pawed at her chest in rapid motions to flick the spider off, but to no avail. Daine turned her head to steal a glance at her love only to see he held a look of utmost satisfaction. He refused to break his eyes away from the dancing lady knight, not even for a moment, for this was the plunder of his daring act.  
  
" Numair Salmalin!" Alanna shrieked in both panic and in utmost anger. "Rest assured that you shall pay dearly for this!"  
  
By now, Alanna was getting desperate. She'd found that she couldn't easily flick off the spider without touching it, what with her panicked state. No, the knight was now ready to take more desperate measures. She reached up to the strap at her upper arm that held on her breast plate. She fumbled with it frantically, trying desperately to get it unbuckled. She took one look down at the tiny, black, eight legged creature crawling over her front and she began to feel faint. The buckle on the strap that held on her breast plate would not budge, making things very difficult for Alanna.   
  
Daine saw her friend continue to struggle, and began to pity the knight. She felt her friend had suffered enough, though she had to admit that it had been an excellent source of entertainment. Taking a quick glance around the room, she saw that everyone who had been busily eating when they had entered were now watching the Lioness's behavior with some interest and much amusement. It wasn't everyday that they got the privilege of seeing the King's Champion scared to death over a tiny little spider. Daine could hear several chuckles coming from the others in the room. She'd had enough of it though. She took a step forward to help Alanna, but stopped when she felt a large hand on her shoulder. Numair eyed her, giving her a look that disapproved. She simply shook her head and shrugged his hand off, again walking towards Alanna, this time ignoring all of Numair's protests.   
  
Alanna was still squirming madly, making it difficult for Daine to get her to hold still long enough to get the spider off. She reached out both hands and gripped the Lioness's shoulders firmly, forcing her friend to stop her panicked movements and hold still. Once she's gotten Alanna to stay put, she took one hand away and reached down and pulled the spider effortlessly off of the lady knight. Alanna's eyes were still wide from what had just taken place, and Daine couldn't help but laugh. Alanna frowned at her, a look of complete annoyance on her face. She jerked her head away from Daine and her eyes met that of Numair's. "You have yet to pay your debt," Daine faintly heard the Lioness growl under her breath. Though Daine had never experienced the Lioness's wrath, she'd witnessed it many times and wouldn't bet a single copper on the well being of the person who'd crossed her.  
  
In a heart beat, Alanna had thrown her body towards Numair, throwing him to the floor. They both landed with a thud, causing the onlookers to get out of their seats to watch. Daine could hear them betting as to what the outcome would be. It looked as if the fall hadn't hurt Alanna in the slightest, for she had landed on top. Numair on the other hand, was beneath her, groaning in pain as she kneed him hard in the stomach. "That's what you get for the spider!" she shrieked as she continued to slap his face over and over. Each time he'd try to get out of her grasp, but found it to be a harder task than he'd originally thought. She held him down hot only with her own strength, but also with her Gift.   
  
Just as Numair was about to pull his own magic into his war with Alanna, he felt the weight on his chest lessen as Alanna was forced off of him. Daine had intervened in the battle, stopping them from their fighting. She'd come to Numair's aid and pulled Alanna off of him before the knight had done too much damage. " Daine, let me go! He deserves this!" Alanna yelled as she tried to fight off Daine's arms which were currently pulling her off of Numair.  
  
" You two stop it! " Daine scolded her friends, " You're both even."  
  
Numair pulled himself up from the floor, keeping his distance from the lady knight. The trio proceeded to go and sit at one of the long tables as the soldiers who'd stopped eating to watch the fight, again returned their attention to their food. Numair walked on one side of Daine while Alanna on the other. Neither would look at each other, which Daine found to be rather amusing. It was hard to believe that they were like this most of the time.  
  
They made their way over to the counter where the food was being kept hot.They each grabbed a tray and began filling it with whatever they liked. Once they had gotten their food, they went back to find a table. They each took a seat without a word and began eating. It was an extremely silent meal, not one of them speaking unless it was through Daine.  
  
" It seems that Daine and sleeping beauty are finally awake," came a familiar voice from behind. Daine looked up from her meal of hot cakes and potatoes and turned to see who had spoken to her. It had, of course, been Onua as she had suspected. She looked up at the horse mistress, and her face spread into a grin. Though she'd seen the woman just before she went to sleep, it hadn't been much of a time to catch up on missed time, for Daine had been exhausted.  
  
" I resent you calling me that, Onua," Numair said, his voice bland. Daine, Alanna, and Onua laughed at this, but Alanna and Numair still didn't break away their cold looks at one another.  
  
" What's with Alanna and Numair?" Onua asked curiously, taking a seat across from Daine, her old assistant.  
  
" They had a bit of a spat," Daine explained, rolling her eyes, " Alanna kicked Numair and then he threw a spider on her and it went from there."  
  
" Ah, well I see not much has changed between them," Onua said with a laugh. Daine soon joined in, leaving Numair and Alanna to stare at the two women in bewilderment. Both knight and mage stared at the other, confused. Finally, Alanna spoke up.  
  
" What do you say we call it even, mage?" Alanna said, sighing in exasperation. Both Daine and Onua rolled their eyes as they waited for Numair's response.  
  
"Fine," he said simply, reaching out to take Alanna's outstretched hand. She gripped his briefly, shaking it and then let it drop. Daine and Onua giggled profusely as Alanna reached down under the table and wiped her hand on her pant leg, making a sour face. Numair glared menacingly at her, but did nothing more for they now had a truce.  
  
Suddenly, a look of realization dawned upon Alanna's face as she remembered something she was expected to do. " By the Mother Goddess!" Alanna exclaimed as soon as she realized what she'd forgotten. " I've got to go, and fast! I was supposed to check in at the Healer's Tents set up in the village! If Jon hears about this, I'll never hear the end of it!" Alanna rose immediately from where she sat and quickly made her way out of the room. Jon had assigned Alanna very few duties for the war clean up and would be very disappointed to find that she had been slacking off at the few that she did have. She always hated it when Jon, or anyone else for that matter, had anything to hold over her.  
  
" Well that was unexpected," Numair said as he watched the flash of long, flaming red hair sweep past him faster than lightning. Daine nodded in agreement and Onua was soon to follow.  
  
" Since she's the King's Champion, I expect we'll be seeing less and less of her now that the war clean up needs to be started," Onua said thoughtfully.  
  
" Thats very true," Numair added, noticing that it may not be just Alanna he would be seeing less of if he were expected to use his magic to help out with the clean up. "I suppose Jon is going to expect me to help lead the clean up effort as well." he said meekly. Joining the clean up squads for duty was the last thing he wanted to spend the next couple of months doing. It would be pure torture, even if he wasn't madly in love with someone and wanted to be with them for every waking moment.  
  
" I hope he doesn't," Daine said showing much more emotion than intended. Numair failed to notice this for he was deep in thought, but Onua didn't. She caught the slight change of tone Daine had used, one that wasn't normal for the young woman. Onua let it pass however, thinking that it was just her ears deceiving her and that it had been nothing at all.  
  
" I doubt if either of you will be called off any time soon," Onua said off handedly. "After the ordeal you've both just been through, I'm sure he'll grant you a leave."  
  
Daine hadn't considered this as an option, though it did sound very appealing. It had been a long time since she could relax and be carefree. It would do her some good to rest and get all of her thoughts together. Numair had proposed to her and keeping him waiting didn't seem the right thing to do, no matter how unsure Daine was. She wanted more than anything to marry him, but she still had her fears and was afraid she always would. There was always going to be a chance that one day he'd feel trapped and he'd turn his back on her. If he didn't turn his back on her, he'd just be living in misery and that was the last thing Daine wanted. Answering Numair's marriage proposal would be very difficult indeed.  
  
There was a long pause in the conversation before anyone spoke. Finally, Onua broke the silence. " You know, neither of you told me exactly what ordeal you went through," Onua said, hinting them to tell her their story. Daine turned her head to look at Numair and saw him wink. She smiled at this and he mirrored her.  
  
" Well, seeing as Daine got to tell the whole story to Alanna, I see it only fitting that I get to tell you," Numair said, carefully running over the facts in his mind. He would have to be careful not to say anything he and Daine planned to keep concealed. Daine and Numair both took turns telling Onua different parts of their trip to the Divine Realms for the next hour or so. It was getting late in the day and none of them had done anything much but lay around and talk with one another.  
  
" Wow," Onua said, her tone breathless, not finding any word more fitting to what she had just heard. "If it wasn't coming from you two, I wouldn't believe it to be true if I was offered all of the gold in Carthak!"  
  
Daine grinned at her former employer's choice of words. She was right though. Their story was hard to believe, and that was putting it mildly. No mortals had entered the Divine Realms for centuries, even in dreams. That was why there were no fully reliable sources in the libraries containing information about that particular Realm. Up until now, no mortal had truly known what it looked like or how it worked, unless he or she hadn't recorded such findings, but that was unlikely. 'Numair will probably want to write a book' Daine thought with some amusement. His experiments and arcane discoveries would never be the same since his trip to the Divine Realms. He would have so much more material to work with. Even Daine knew this when she knew little to nothing about his works.  
  
" I'm not so sure I'd believe it myself had I not lived it," Numair said, grinning proudly. He'd never dreamed he'd be one of the first mortals to set foot in the Divine Realms in centuries.  
  
" I'm fair sure I'd laugh if anyone tried to tell me what we've just told you," Daine added with a laugh. It was indeed strange enough to enter the Divine Realms if you were a mortal, but stranger yet to meet your parents who died years ago there as well. Their little trip had definitely been a turn of events on their part.  
  
" I hate to do this, seeing as I've only just seen you for the first time in months, but I really have to be going," said, her voice revealing her disappointment. " I've a duty to tend to the Rider's and Knight's mounts at this fort and once I've done that, I must move on to the next."  
  
" We completely understand, " Numair said sympathetically, speaking for himself and Daine.  
  
" Go on ahead and do what you came here for Onua, " Daine piped in, looking over her shoulder to see that Numair's eyes were fixed on her. He seemed not to notice where his gaze had fallen, or the fact that it had been this way for far too long.  
  
Onua too noticed this, and it caused her to wonder even more about her two friends.  
  
" Daine and I will be fine by ourselves," Numair said calmly, not breaking his eyes away from his student. Daine blushed when Onua raised an eyebrow briefly before rising from her seat.  
  
" Well, if you two are sure, then I'll just be going," Onua said, swinging her leg over the bench and taking a step back. " Hopefully I'll get to see you before I move on to the next fort, but if I don't, its likely we'll meet at the palace in a week or so. Who knows, Jonathan might summon the two of you to the palace sooner. Until he does, he sent orders for you to remain here."  
  
" Yes, Alanna already informed us of that," Numair said, his voice hurried. Daine failed to notice this, but Onua didn't. He seemed to be rushing her. She would indeed have to speak to Alanna about all of this. Perhaps the lady knight will have noticed some of the same behavior and would know what it meant. " Have a nice day."  
  
" You too, Numair, Daine," Onua said as she walked away. She made her way acorss the room and out of the canvas flap of a door. When she was out of site, Numair turned to Daine to find that she was already looking at him. He grinnned, causing her to mirror him. He reached under the tabel, grabbing the hand that lay in her lap. She giggled at his antics, but couldn't help but take a quick glance around the room to make sure no one had noticed. Shivers went rapidly up her spine as he ran his finger up her leg and into her lap. She playfully stepped on his foot, causing him to glare at her mockingly.  
  
" Care to go for a walk?" Numair asked, his eyes darkening from their normal deep brown to a coal black. Daine felt breathless as she looked at the emotion in his eyes. She nodded, not daring herself to speak. She'd caught on to his hint, knowing that his intention was to be alone with her. She felt giddy at the mere thought, her breath catching in her throat. " Then lets go." Numair said, removing his hand form Daine's and rising from where he sat next to her. She too rose, standing extremely close to him as she did. She took a step back until she was a respectable distance from him. -its going to be harder than I thought to keep from arousing suspicion- Daine thought with some amusement. It seemed everything they did could easily give away their secret.  
  
Daine followed her love across the room and through the canvas door that led out of the mess hall and out into the open space of the fort. They made their way through the crowd of scurrying soldiers, knights, pages and squires and to the opposite wall. Here, there was a door built into the sturdy wall that led to the outside. It was a seperate door from the large fort gates, and it enabled single people to exit the fort without having to open the main gates. In front of the door stood an armed guard. He saw who stood before him and smiled. He would recognize the famous Numair Salmalin and Veralidaine Sarrasri any day. He moved out of the way of the door with a smile, saluting the two war heroes as he did. Daine and Numair did not hesitate to make their way through the door and out into the open space outside of the fort walls.  
  
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A/N: Well? What did you think? I know it wasn't a very fluffy chapter, but I suppose we don't ALWAYS need fluff....Don't worry though, cuz I'll have lots of it in most chapters. Next chapter should have a lot. I mean how could it not? I just led them out into a secluded location ALONE...hmmmm...I wonder what they plan t spend their time doing? Anyway, don't forget to review or heads shall roll! Well...not really, but don't count on a new chappy anytime soon if you don't! ^_^ 


	5. Persuasion

A/N: Howdy everyone....I just got back from Homecoming at my school! We lost badly, but I still had a blast! I love going to games at my school......I didn't get to go to the dance though because my mom said I couldn't. I suppose it wouldn't have done me much good to go anyway, because I can't dance and I've never had a date, thus no escort.........  
  
Anyway, I'll shut up and get on with the story. I'll try to add some fluff or something in this chapter, you know, to make it a bit more interesting than last chapter.....  
  
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Daine gripped Numair's hand as they walked out into the distance, away from Legann Fort's walls. Surrounding the fort was a vast amount of space, most of it that Daine could see was covered with trees. There was a small creek flowing through the forest floor. Though Daine could not see it, she could hear the sound of its peaceful waters rippling through the rocks and soil it flowed through. Daine followed Numair's lead as he pulled her in the direction of a clump of willow trees that bordered the tiny creek. They mad their way over to the barrier of willow branches and they each pulled them back so they could walk through to the other side.  
  
Once they were concealed by the barrier of willow leaves, Numair slumped back, leaning his lanky form against the trunk of the nearest willow tree. He sighed and said, "Alone at last," his voice was quiet, almost breathless, but Daine didn't miss a single word of it. There was a sort of fire in his voice, one that made Daine excited, though she had no idea why. There was a strange emotion in his dark eyes, one that she couldn't remember having ever seen before. It brought her a new, foreign excitement, one that sent chills up her spine. She felt her heart beating faster within her chest, her excitement building. In her mind she could hear his voice saying 'I shall get back to persuading you at a later time.' The thought of him carrying out these words made Daine shiver in excitement.  
  
Daine moved to stand next to him, she too leaned her body against the tree, resting her side against his lanky form. She heard him sigh in what seemed to be contentment. She reached down to his hand and gripped it affectionately. He squeezed her hand back, allowing her to entangle his in her own. " I believe we both have a lot of telling to do," Daine mused as she leaned her head in the crook of his arm, her face resting against the silk of his black robe. He reached up his spare hand to run it through her smoky gray curls.  
  
" Indeed we do," Numair said in response. Though Daine wasn't looking at him, she knew he was smiling, for she could feel it. She turned her head to look at him and saw that he was indeed smiling. This brought her lips into a crooked smile. " Why don't you start? What happened to you after we parted?"  
  
Daine sighed and let her memory roam back in time. Many things had happened to her, many indeed. " I flew on Wingstar back to Legann to meet with Jonathan. He ordered me to act as his messenger and spy while he busied himself wielding the Dominion Jewel," Daine began her tale, letting her gaze travel from Numair to that of the beautiful surroundings. The wall of willow leaves that surrounded them looked mystical, a pleasing sight. Daine paused briefly before continuing. " I did as I was told, carrying messages for him often. For me, the real excitement didn't start until after a creature of chaos had come. I don't know if you heard about it, but some men opened up an unidentified box and thus released a creature of chaos. Raoul went up to fight the thing, as did the Badger and Rikash." Daine said the stormwing's name with tear filled eyes. Without being able to contain herself, she felt a hot tear slide down her face. She felt Numair's finger come up to her cheek and gently rub off the tear. She nodded to him gratefully.  
  
" Are you all right, love?" he asked, his tone revealed his wonder as to why she was saddened by telling this.  
  
" I'll be fine," she assured him, holding back any more tears that threatened to fall. She held her head high and continued. " Raoul killed the dratted thing, but as it was about to fall, it threw itself at Rikash and killed him."  
  
The news came as quite a shock to Numair. He knew stormwings were rather easy to kill, but Rikash had always been tough one. He remembered in Dunlath several years ago when he and Daine had first met Rikash. She hadn't been able to kill him then, and was sure she wouldn't have been able to kill him now if she had wanted to. He had been wise, a rare trait for a stormwing, not to mention clever. He'd been good to Numair and Daine, and neither would ever forget him for how he helped them. If it hadn't been for Rikash and his clan, there was no way Daine or Numair could have crossed the Sea of Sand. " I'm sorry, Magelet," Numair said, trying his best to reassure her. He didn't know what he could say to make her feel any better though. Too many of her loved ones had been taken from her in her lifetime. She'd faced death all around her more than was natural for most humans. Numair didn't think it was fair at all that such a person as Daine should have to face so much grief. She was barely a small slip of a girl when her mother and grandfather had been murdered by bandits. It hadn't been long after that that she'd been forced to kill for the first time. No, life had not been fair to his Daine. But no more would it be that way, he would be sure of it. No longer would death knock at her door. He would drive it away. He would protect her from it. In his eyes, she'd been through enough, and he'd protect her until he himself was sent to the Realms of the Dead. He loved her enough to do this and more for her. There wasn't a single thing he would not do for his Daine.   
  
" Its all right, Numair," Daine said, squeezing her love's hand for assurance. " I just don't understand the Black God's choice on who's life he claims, thats all. If there ever was a good stormwing, Rikash was just that. Out of all the stormwings that could have been killed, why did the Black God choose him?"  
  
This had been a question that had always puzzled Numair. Why did the Black God claim the lives of certain people? Many good people died by his hand everyday. Why did he always allow the impure to thrive, the twisted to live off of others. It didn't seem fair. It all fell under the same category though. It was the choice of the gods. Often times Numair questioned why the gods did things as they did. He'd always thought that if he was a god, the good would thrive and the evil would fall. That was not always how the gods operated though. Perhaps things would be different for himself and Daine now however. They'd lived the lives of heroes and were both still rather young. They had a lot of life left to live, and perhaps the gods would let them have it in peace. He'd finally gotten what he'd wanted all along, and that was Daine's love. How could life be anything but good so long as he had that?   
  
" I don't know, sweet," Numair said, still thinking on the matter. Nothing he could say or even think could justify Rikash's death or for that matter, the death of anyone he or Daine had lost during their lifetime. " Its questions such as that that have always puzzled me. I'm almost certain that there is not an answer and there never will be."  
  
What Numair said made sense to Daine. Perhaps he was right. Gods did things for a reason, but mortals would never understand that reason. There was a chance that something good could come out of the stormwing's death. If she thought about it, there had been something good to come out of her Ma's death. After her family had died, she'd fled to Tortall and met Numair, Onua, Alanna, Thayet, Jonathan, and all of her other friends. She'd helped them and she'd learned a lot about herself. If her Ma hadn't died, there was a good chance that she would never have gone to Tortall, never met Onua, never found out about her Wild Magic. The most terrifying thought that went along these lines though, was that she might never have met Numair. She might never have saved him that day in the swamp when he was stuck as a hawk. Its likely that he would have died. It would have been near impossible for Onua to have found him, for she could not sense him as Daine could. Yes, Daine was sure that if her Ma hadn't died, her lanky friend and love would have. Who knows what would have become of her friends had her Ma not died. Daine wanted to be modest, but she had to admit that she'd saved her friend's lives more than once. " I think I understand, Numair," she said quietly. He leaned his head down to rest on hers, his lips resting in her hair. She could feel his warm breath on her scalp.  
  
There was a long pause in which neither spoke. Both mage and magelet were deep in though, neither really wanting to share their thoughts with the other. Finally, Numair spoke up out of curiosity. " What happened after Rikash was killed, Daine?" he asked, his voice gentle, yet pleading.  
  
" After Rikash was killed, I saw a lone stormwing flying away from the battle. It didn't seem right to me. I knew that it could be only one stormwing, Ozorne," Daine said, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She felt anger renewed welling up inside her just as it had when she had been chasing Ozorne through the air that day. She took a deep breath and then continued. " I followed Ozorne in the shape of a bird that was half bird of prey and half starling. I had almost caught up to him when he sent three of those winged apes to stop me. I spent some time fighting them off before I could go after him again. I finally caught him and our fight lasted for a while in the air. Before long though, we hit the ground and continued there. It lasted so long that I lost all of my strength to shape shift and he drained his power."  
  
Numair's eyes grew wide as he heard her story. He'd assumed he'd had a more exciting battle than she had, but she could give him a run for his money. " How in the name of Mithros did you manage to come out of this alive?!" he asked anxiously. This would have to be a miraculous escape, even for Daine's standards.  
  
" To tell you the truth, I didn't think I was going to come out of it alive as it all was happening," Daine said, remembering her fear when she'd been unable to shape shift. She'd been so afraid that she would never see Numair again, or any of her other friends for that matter. She could remember hearing his voice in her head, 'If you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you.' "In the last moment, I slit his throat with my badger claw."  
  
Numair was rather shocked to have heard this. Whatever he had expected her to say, that hadn't been it. Had he been the one drained in a battle, he would never have thought of something so simply. Apparently, Ozorne hadn't thought of it either. It had always been Ozorne's downfall to underestimate Daine. This time it had been more than just his kingdom that he lost. He had lost his life. Numair couldn't be more grateful for a man's death. Ozorne had been a thorn in his side for a very long time. The man, if he could even be called that, was evil. He wasn't something that should be allowed to walk the earth. After a while, Numair finally voiced his thoughts on what Daine had just said. "I would never have thought to do that," he said simply, earning a strangled laugh from Daine. His legs ached beneath him, for he had been standing in the same position for a very long time. He decided to take a rest, so he released Daine's hand and lowered his body to the ground, sitting on the hard dirt floor.  
  
Daine soon followed his movements, taking a seat next to him. He leaned her head down to rest in the crook of his arm as he lifted up his arm to wrap around her shoulders. Once settled, Daine broke the new found silence. " I believe you still have a tale to tell," she said, her voice close to teasing. Numair smiled at this, leaning his head back to rest of the willow's trunk. He looked up into the willow's canopy, as is searching for answers. Blocking his view of the sky was the barrier of willow branches and leaves.  
  
" Where shall I start?" he asked more to himself than to Daine. In any event, she answered him.  
  
" Start exactly where I did," she prompted, not lifting her head from the crook of his arm.  
  
" Well, I left with Thayet and her army to head for the main battle grounds, not far from Legann. With every step I took, the aurora of Hadensra's Gift grew stronger. Every time I felt his power come closer, I got scared. Walking into a mage's duel has never scared me like it did with Hadensra. Do you know why I was scared, Magelet?" he asked, voice soft and filled with emotion. Daine leaned her head back to look up into his eyes. His face was lit up by the sunlight that leaked in through the gaps in the barrier of willow leaves. She thought he looked rather handsome in this moment. She wished she could capture this moment in time, and go back to it when she wanted. If she could, she would go back to it often.  
  
" Was it because you knew he would be the hardest mage you've ever faced?" Daine asked, not at all prepared for what his answer was.  
  
" No," his tone was foreign to Daine. It was breathless, filled with longing, but even that was putting it mildly. It made her feel giddy through and through. It gave her a feeling she couldn't even begin to describe. " I was scared that I would never see you again, Magelet, never hold you again. I'd waited a long time to have your love and now that I'd gotten it, I didn't by any means want to die and thus lose it." Numair finished his statement and Daine was soon in the same state he was. She felt as if she could barely breath.  
  
" Even in death, you'd still have my love," Daine said, feeling her eyes well up with tears. She loved this man with every ounce of her being, and would never let go of him, not even in the end of time. " I love you so much, Numair Salmalin."  
  
" I may have your love in death, but I'd still never be able to do this," his voice came out raspy and he sounded as though he could scarcely breath. Daine barely had time to take all of this in, for in an instant after uttering these words, he'd brought his lips over hers roughly, pinning her back to the trunk of the willow. She moaned in pleasure as the kiss went on, passion growing with every second. Just as he pulled away for air, he came back more gently. This time, Daine was even more unprepared. She lost her balance and slide down landing with a thump on the forest floor. Through this whole event neither broke the kiss or even took notice that they'd fallen, for they were too wound up in passion and desire.  
  
Finally, Numair lifted his head to find himself face down, laying on top of Daine. For a moment he sat questioning as to how he got in this position, but shrugged it off. He rolled over and onto the floor beside his love. " Have I persuaded you enough in regard to matrimony, my love?" he asked teasingly, his voice a cracked whisper. He hoped with all of his heart that she would say yes. He wanted her to be his forever and he wanted the world to know it. In a more serious tone, he added, " Daine, you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I want you to be my wife."  
  
" I'm sorry Numair, but I can't, I just can't," Daine did her best to be sympathetic, but felt like a monster when she saw the look of disappointment and even hurt in his eyes. Seeing this, she knew she'd given him the wrong impression, for he looked away quickly and she knew she'd hurt him. " I-I didn't mean it that way, Numair," Daine pleaded with him, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. " What I meant, was that I'm just not ready for marriage. I'm sorry." He turned to face her, meeting her gaze once again.  
  
" Its me who should be sorry, sweet," though he tried, he couldn't hide the hurt from his voice. This stung Daine like a bull whip, but she pushed it away long enough to hear the rest of what he had to say. " I should have waited a while longer, but I just can't help it. When I'm with you, I'm free. Its not like anything I've ever felt, and I want to keep it forever."  
  
" Don't be sorry, Numair," Daine said, her eyes welling up with tears at what he had just said to her. If she hadn't known of his feelings for her before, then she surely did now. She could feel how sincere his words were. She felt the same, but she just couldn't marry him, not yet. " I feel the same way about you, I truly do. I love you so much that it hurts, but I just can't marry you. Not yet at least."  
  
" I understand, Daine, and I'll wait for you for as long as you want want me to wait," his words were sincere, his promise made. Daine knew he had every intention of keeping it, but would he one day regret it? She couldn't marry him so long as she still had such thoughts. Besides all of this, none of their friends even knew that they were lovers. No, it was much better to wait.  
  
" I never said I wouldn't marry you," she said quickly, hoping that this at least would cheer him up. " I love you, Numair, and I want to be with you forever, but I just don't want you to be trapped."  
  
" If I was to be trapped with someone, you'd be my first choice," he said with a sigh, knowing that he couldn't by any means win this argument.  
  
"I'm sorry," Daine repeated. She couldn't take having such an argument with him just now and she wished it would stop. " I stand by what I said before. Maybe someday, I'll give in and marry you, but not now."  
  
  
  
" I love you anyway and nothing you say or do can keep me from doing that," Numair said with a forced grin. He pulled Daine into his chest and held her tight. He kissed her forehead lovingly. She welcomed the closeness of his face, hoping that he wouldn't dwell on their previous argument.  
  
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A/N: Well? As usual, I want to know what you think...I love reviews *hint hint* and they will make me update faster. I will also drop you the hint that I have several chapters that come after this one already written, so when I update depends entirely on your efficiency in reviewing.....with that in mind, do not hesitate to click the little gray button in the bottom left corner of this page! ^_^ 


	6. More Persuasion And Revealed Suspiscion

A/N: And here is yet another chapter....You guys have got to admit that my updating tendency is at its best....Come one now, you know its true, so just admit it! For once with a fic, I was smart, you see. I didn't post the fic as soon as I started it. I waited until I had written about 5 chapters before posting. And it has paid off cuz look at how fast I can get an update up. Oh, also, just to answer a few questions, some people have been asking why the plot isn't progressing. I do have a reason for that, believe it or not. The reason is simply this: I want you guys to totally get pissed when Daine actually does have to go. The other reason, is that this is going to be a LONG fic....I want to shoot for like 150,000 words! Oh and for another question I got, yes, I do know that Alanna and Numair probably wouldn't act like that, but I just had to do it. I saw something similar happen during lunch at school, and it inspired me. Oh and one last question was from The Forgotten Fate was if she can marry Rosh. I'd love to answer you, but that's really up to him. I'll have to ask him at the next press conference. You won't see much of Rosh till close to the end just to let you know. I *might* do a brief interlude from Rosh's POV, but I might not. I haven't decided......Anyway, don't forget to review, or you shall pay dearly!!! Muahahha!!!  
  
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"Onua!" Alanna called out through the crowd of Riders gathered inside Fort Legann. Though she couldn't see the horse mistress, she knew her friend was about, for she could hear the woman's carrying voice ring throughout the area. Yes, over the years of training the Riders, Sarge had definitely rubbed off on Onua. Finally, after much searching, Alanna spotted the woman. She was sitting on a bench, observing the Riders at work. She seemed too lost in concentration to hear Alanna. The Lioness sighed in frustration and trudged over to meet her friend. The two of them had to talk. What Alanna had to discuss with her was important, and couldn't wait. Now was a perfect time to talk to her, for the topics of discussion were no where to be found and Alanna suspected she knew why.   
  
Alanna took a seat next to the horse mistress, giving the woman a shock. " Didn't you hear me call?" Alanna asked in annoyance. Onua turned to her friend and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Actually, I didn't, but now I do and I'm all ears," Onua said with a grin at her own cleverness. Alanna rolled her eyes mockingly before speaking again.  
  
"We need to talk," Alanna said seriously, her voice low. Her eyes darted quickly to the left and then to the right to make sure that no one was listening. " Its rather urgent."  
  
"What about?" Onua asked curiously. Alanna had the distinct look in her eyes that said that she had good gossip. Onua hoped it had something to do with the rumor that Kalasin had been betrothed. Alanna always managed to find the juiciest gossip.  
  
"Its about Daine and Numair," Alanna said, surprising Onua. It was a known fact that many of the palace maids found it entertaining to gossip about Daine and Numair, but she'd never heard Alanna utter a single word about the two in that manner. At times, when Onua was walking through the halls at the palace, she would stop and listen to what the maids had to say. She'd always found it humorous that many would swear by the great gods that they'd seen Daine enter Numair's room at night and not come out until morning. Unlike the maids, Onua had known the true reason that this incident had taken place. Daine had gone to Numair's room late one night for a lesson, and the two of them had fallen asleep. It was, however, odd for Alanna to bring up the two in gossiping.  
  
"What about them?" Onua asked, hoping Alanna wasn't going to start in on some rubbish she'd heard from a maid. It wasn't like Alanna to do something such as that, so Onua had complete faith that her friend was not about to insult her friends behind her back.  
  
Again, Alanna looked both ways before continuing. " For their sake, I shant say it here. There's too many people around to here it," Alanna said, looking nervous. Her eyes bore the satisfaction she got only after learning an interesting secret.  
  
Onua raised an eyebrow at the lady knight, wondering what in fact the woman had to say. If Alanna said anything about Numair having taken advantage of Daine, Onua would refuse to believe it. It wasn't in the man's nature to do such a thing. He loved Daine as if she were his sister, and would never do anything to hurt her. " All right then," Onua said, wondering if she would even want to know what her friend had to say. In her life, she'd learned that some things were better left unsaid. '' If you can't tell me here, where then will you?"  
  
Alanna glanced around the fort's interior, looking for a proper place. She eyed a secluded corner behind the stacks of flour sacks. -Perfect- she thought to herself. " How about over there?" she asked as she pointed to the flour sacks. Onua looked at Alanna questioningly, wondering what secret was so great that it needed to be told in such a hidden place. Though she had her doubts as to whether she wanted to hear Alanna's news or not, she followed her anyway, hoping for the best. By now, curiosity had gotten the best of her in any case, and she doubted if she could ever walk away in the first place. Good gossip was just too resisting, even if the subjects were her two best friends.  
  
Once the two women were completely hidden from site, Alanna turned anxiously to her friend, a sly grin spread across her features. " Well?" Onua hissed, pulling Alanna by the arm. " What was so important that it had to be said back here?"  
  
"I'm fair surprised and disappointed that you haven't noticed it," Alanna said with a knowing grin.  
  
"Noticed what?" Onua hissed back in annoyance. She hated it when Alanna toyed with her like this.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?!" Alanna sighed in exasperation. " Onua, haven't you noticed anything different about Daine and Numair?"  
  
"Well, maybe a little something, but I suppose anyone would be different after being taken into the Divine Realms," Onua said, her curiosity growing with every second.  
  
" Well, I for one noticed a big something," Alanna said knowingly. " I don't have any proof so to speak, but I don't think they're just student and teacher anymore."  
  
"Alanna!" Onua said in surprise. " I'm surprised at you! Daine and Numair are our friends! We shouldn't be talking about them like this!"  
  
"Come now, Onua!" Alanna said, not believing her friend's act for a minute. " You can't tell me that you haven't thought this would happen all along."  
  
"Fine, I'll admit that I did suspect it once or twice, but that's all!" Onua admitted, feeling a little ashamed of herself. She didn't even want to think of the look Daine and Numair would give her if they knew about what she and Alanna were talking about just now.  
  
"Well I've seen it all along!" Alanna said, hoping Onua would believe her. " I've known Numair for a very long time, perhaps even longer than you have. In that time I've seen him with many court ladies. Once or twice, I even thought I saw an expression one might interpret as love. As soon as Daine came along, I knew how mildly I had used the word love when concerning Numair. I saw the way he looked at her, and I knew. You can't tell me that you didn't see it as well. Today, I saw her return that look to him. I saw him look happier than I've ever seen him and the same goes for Daine. I don't know about you, but that's proof enough for me!"  
  
" It sounds convincing, but to truly be sure we'd have to see them kiss," Onua said truthfully.  
  
"I may not have seen them kiss, but today at breakfast, I dropped my fork on the ground and when I reached down to get it, I glanced under the table and I saw them holding hands!" Alanna reported what she had seen and Onua's eyes grew wide with mischief.  
  
"This truly is getting interesting," Onua mused. " It would be nice if all of this were true, because you and I both know that he's loved her in secret for years."  
  
"Yes, he has," Alanna agreed with her friend, nodding. It all seemed so perfect. "Remember that focus you found in his room when you went to borrow a book from him? That's more proof if I ever saw any!"  
  
A horrible thought suddenly struck Onua. What of Numair's powers? He was indeed a very powerful mage, the best in the Realm perhaps. What if love had driven him to enchant Daine into falling in love with him? Both Onua and Alanna had seen his focus he had on Daine. They both knew very well what could be done with a focus, and shuddered at the mere thought. -No!- she told herself sternly. - He would never do that!- " Alanna, you don't think that he, what with his powers and all- I mean love can drive a person to do strange things, things that they wouldn't normally do-You don't think that he-" Onua beat around the bush, but Alanna knew exactly what she meant.  
  
"Not for a minute!" Alanna said, sure of herself. " Numair wouldn't do that. He's sincere. I can see it in his eyes."  
  
"Yes, I was hoping you wouldn't think he had," Onua said in relief. It wouldn't be as if it was the first time a mage had conjured a love potion to enchant the maiden of their choice. Then another thought hit Onua. If all of this was true, wouldn't they want to be sure? " Alanna, suppose we're right, how will we prove it to ourselves? I don't know about you, but some good solid evidence would do me some good."  
  
"I agree and I have plan," Alanna smiled mischievously "We'll spy on them when they think they're alone. Today would have been perfect because according to the guard, they went out into the forest alone."  
  
"That's an excellent idea!" Onua squealed with excitement. "Before long, we should be able to catch them kiss at least once, and if they don't then surely they will slip in public sooner or later."  
  
"This is going to be great fun," Alanna couldn't hold back her excitement. Both woman began giggling at the idea of catching their friends in an intimate moment.  
  
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"We should start heading back, Daine," Numair said, yawning. Though the two had spent the past week sleeping, they had still managed to fall asleep together under the barrier of willow leaves. The smooth sound of rushing water rippling through the rocks of the nearby creek, mixed with the comfort each got from the other's body pressed firmly against their own had been too much for the two. It had lulled the relaxing lovers into a deep sleep, filled with pleasant dreams, not doubt.  
  
Daine too yawned, opening her eyes to take in her surroundings. Next to her lay Numair, who was now sitting up, resting his weight on his elbows. He looked so handsome when he did that, Daine thought with amusement. She wished she could wake up to him next to her every time she went to sleep. Taking a glance at her surroundings, she remembered that she and Numair had been expected back at the fort. It must be late, for sunlight no longer leaked through the gaps in the willow leaves. What would it look like for the two of them to return from a private stroll together when it was dark out? It seemed so far they hadn't done a very glamorous job in keeping their secret relationship a secret. She turned to look at her love, and from the look on his face, he was thinking the same thing. " How long have we slept, Numair?" Daine asked, stretching out her limbs from her nap. Numair was watching her movements intently, looking enthralled by her every move. Daine smiled at this, knowing very well how he felt, for she felt it too for him. " I was fair sure I'd slept enough this week," Daine added dryly, causing Numair to laugh.  
  
"As I said a moment ago, we'd best hurry back," Numair said, shamelessly letting his disappointment of returning show. " May Mithros give up his rank as a great god if I am much mistaken in saying people will have already started getting ideas about us."  
  
"Its likely you're right, though its always been that way," Daine said with a sigh. "Thanks to several gossiping nobles, I'll never forget the rumors that flew that night we fell asleep in your room after having a lesson."  
  
"Yes, that memory is one that is firmly planted in my mind," Numair said regretfully. He'd hated some of the things that had been said about his Daine. The nobles could insult him all they wanted for all he cared. It was when they insulted Daine that he burned with anger. He'd earned his reputation, whereas she hadn't. She was still innocent, never having bedded a man. He had bedded his first woman long ago, and had thus earned such a reputation at court. It wasn't fair that Daine should be drug down with him.  
  
Daine sighed, still thinking about the rumors and gossip. Daine had been one to experience bad talk in her time. She remembered all to well what the villagers of Snowsdale used to say about her, never ashamed to say it to her face. They'd called her a fatherless bastard. They'd said she'd never marry, for no respectable man would ever love her. The words had stung as she heard them, but somehow, she'd always managed to push back the tears that burned inside and hold her head high. It seemed iron to say the least that now, she was Wild Mage of Tortall and had recently been asked for her hand in marriage by none other than the greatest mage in the Realm. She wondered what the villagers of Snowsdale would say to that. Perhaps they would take a lot better to her now, but she didn't care. They were the last people she wanted to see again any time soon.  
  
The gossip in Tortall for Daine hadn't been much better. Upon her arrival, she'd been talked about. It hadn't bothered her all that much though, for she was used to people talking about her. What had always made her burn with anger was when they added Numair to the insults about her. She'd always thought that they didn't understand. How could they? It was obvious none of them had ever had someone care so much about them as Numair did for Daine. Since the trip to the Divine Realms, his caring had only doubled, if not that then more than doubled. Nobles always seemed to find a way to turn love into lust, and to Daine it all seemed fickle.  
  
She felt Numair's hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him. His eyes held a look that said he was questioning what he was about to say. Daine hoped that whatever it was, he wouldn't refrain from asking her. She wanted him to be able to tell her anything just as she would for him. Finally, he spoke, " Daine, before we head back, there's something I need to ask you," he said, his voice hoarse. Daine couldn't understand his behavior or tone of voice at all.  
  
"Then tell me," Daine insisted, eager to know what was troubling him.  
  
"I-I just wanted you to know, I mean being that-" Numair struggled to find the right words. Everything he said came out jumbled, his voice stuttering. " What I'm trying to say is that if the rumors and talk were too much for you, I'd understand if you didn't want to deal with it. I'd stop all of this right now and spare you the gossip." Numair had said many things in his life, but that had been by far the hardest. He'd waited so long for her love and now that he had it, he was offering to give it up for her sake. he would do it any day though if she wanted him to.  
  
Daine felt as if she might fall over from the shock of his words. This had been the farthest thing from her mind during their conversation. Daine couldn't even begin to fathom what would cause him to think she would ever do such a thing to him. She loved him way too much to give him up on account of some palace maid's words. She'd given up being a lesser goddess and living with her Ma in the Divine Realms so that she could be with Numair. Then a thought his her even as all these others roared through her mind. He didn't know about her decision not to be a goddess. He had no idea what she had given up just to be with him. Perhaps if he knew what she'd done, he'd have more faith that she loved him, more faith that she'd stay with him forever.  
  
"Numair Salmalin, how can you even say that?!" Daine voiced what she had been thinking. "You may not know it, but there's something I left out in my story I told you earlier and it might be of interest to you." Daine said this with one hand planted on her hip, staring directly into his eyes without blinking. He seemed to be trying to avoid making direct eye contact with her, but she wouldn't let him avoid it. She'd been foolish not to tell him about the choice Mithros had given her. Had she told him sooner, he wouldn't be having the doubts he was having now. He would understand.  
  
Numair raised his eye brow in question as she said this. What is there that she hadn't told him? What could be important, yet she still forgot it? He hoped it wasn't something he would regret having to hear. "What did you leave out that is of importance?" he asked anxiously. Daine smiled knowingly. She snaked an arm around his waist and pulled his body up closely against hers. She snuggled into the crook of his arm, all the while still gazing into his face with a grin.  
  
"Before DiamondFlame and Wingstar brought me back to the Mortal Realms, Mithros gave me a choice," Daine began, all the while Numair's eyes grew wider with anticipation. " The choice was this. He said I could either return to the Mortal Realms to live out my life or I could stay in the Divine Realms with my Ma and DA as a lesser goddess."   
  
Daine had barely said these words before Numair had disentangled himself from her hold and jumped to his feet. His reaction was just as she had expected it. He was looking down at her where she sat and rubbing his eyes in disbelief. She'd given up being a goddess for him? He had never expected this, never. He knew in his heart that she loved him, but never knew she loved him enough to give up immorality and power beyond her wildest dreams just to be with him. Then, another, more horrifying thought crossed his mind. She hadn't yet told him her decision. What if she hadn't chosen him? What if she'd chosen to be a goddess and was merely here to say good bye and explain why she couldn't see him anymore? What if she would soon be gone from him forever. He would never see her again until the day he died. The mere thought chilled his blood with terror. He thought he felt his heart stop from fear. Time seemed to be at a stand still as he waited to hear what she'd chosen. " W-what?" he didn't let the disbelief hide in his tone. " What-what did you choose?" he asked this almost fearfully. He awaited in terror to be gently let down. How could she do this to him? -she hadn't done anything yet- he reminded himself. -Yet....- another voice in his mind said coldly.  
  
"I'm surprised you even had to ask,you dolt!" Daine said, a look of triumph on her face. " I chose you and you alone. What good would being a goddess be if I didn't have you to share my happiness with?"   
  
Numair's reaction to her words was immediate. He felt as if he had sprouted wings and was flying through the air on smooth currents of wind. Had he heard her right? He could have sworn she'd just told him that she chose being with him over being a goddess! Could it be true? It was true, it was very true. In an instant he'd once again dropped to the ground, springing towards her with a look of utmost happiness on his face. Within seconds he had her pinned to the ground beneath his hold. She was smiling up at him and he could restrain himself no longer.Did she know what that smile did to him? He brought his face down to hers and let their lips meet roughly. At first, Daine squealed in surprise as his lips moved over hers, but soon melted into him and returned his passion. She reached her arm up and around his neck, resting her hand behind his neck. She playfully gripped his hair, squeezing it tightly within her grip to control herself from falling too far into the passion. She felt thunder in her heart as the kiss went on. Her heart would fall with longing when he broke away for air, but would sing with joy when he again brought his lips down to hers.  
  
So much for returning so soon, Numair thought. It looked as though those who wished to talk about them would just have to do so, for they weren't going to go back just to prevent them from doing it. Daine and Numair didn't care in the slightest bit. Numair moaned with pleasure as did Daine, not at all willing to break the kiss. Daine could feel his warm breath on her face as he continued to press his body farther down on her own. He was much larger than she, so her body was now completely covered by his own.  
  
Daine melted completely into his hold on her, unable to move, unable to register reality. She was lost in his arms, his move warmly moving over hers. She felt everything about him, down to the last detail. She felt his hands roaming her back with yearning. She felt the firm grip he got on her shoulders as soon as his hands stopped roaming. She felt every place their bodies touched while pressed together. Most of all, she felt his lips as they caressed hers, deep in a passionate kiss. She felt his thick lashes bat against her face, falling into passion. She could even feel his hands roam their way from her shoulders and up her neck to rest on her face, cupping it in his hold. She let her own arms swing around his neck, pulling him all the closer. Had it not been for the pleasure she received, his weight on her would be too much to bear, though at the present moment it was worth bearing.  
  
After a while of going on like this, Numair finally pulled away from Daine, lungs moving fast to regain his breath. He was now breathing heavily, his throat sore from having taken in so few and so short of breaths. He rolled off of his love and found that she had had much the same reaction. He smiled briefly to himself, shaking his head to clear it. Then he remembered in a sudden urgency, that they had to go. From the looks of things, it was dark out, the sun having set long ago. He could barely see Daine, who sat mere inches away. There was no longer any light coming into their hide away save for a few rays of moonlight that leaked through. Lucky for the two, it was a full moon this fine night, giving them a light to see with.  
  
"Daine," Numair said raggedly, resting a hand on his young love's shoulder. He felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest, his mind filled with wild images of where this new found passion could lead them. Knowing that his self control was slipping rapidly, he refused to again bring his lips to hers. If he did, all control he had previously had over himself would be lost. For Daine's sake, they had to stop now. " We really need to go now. We should stop," His voice was husky, overwhelmed by the passion that had passed between them mere moments ago. Though it had gone no farther than kisses, it had been the most incredible thing he'd ever experienced.  
  
  
  
Daine nodded at this, no longer tired. She rose and her love mirrored her actions. Taking his hand, she stepped forward and pulled back a small section of the willow leaf barrier, just big enough for them to step through. They set out into the night and headed back to the fort. Numair didn't have to use his Gift to light the way, for the moon lit up the vast amount of clear space surrounding the fort. The brisk night air felt cool upon their skin as they walked, relaxing the two. The star filled sky made the night captivating with beauty. Had it not been for the late hour and the fact that the two were expected back long ago, Numair and Daine would have stayed out all night under the stars, enjoying the night's beauty and the comfort of each other's company.  
  
Their walk back to the fort ended all too soon for the couple. As soon as the fort came clearly into view, Numair let Daine's hand fall and began walking at a respectable distance away from her. They came to the door through which they had exited and found a guard waiting as they had before. It was the same guard who had been posted upon their leaving. Daine recognized that he was one of the Queen's Riders, perhaps even one from her good friend, Evin Larse's group. Whatever group he was from, Daine was positive she'd seen him before, maybe even spoken to him once or twice.The young man looked at the two quizzically, almost reproachfully. Disgust was evident in his facial expression. Daine stole a look at her love who was to be posing as her teacher and saw that his face bore a sour look to match that of the guard.  
  
"We request entrance," Numair said, ignoring the young man's looks. Numair gave the guard a look that would strike any man with any sense with fear. It wasn't wise to provoke a black robed mage. From the guards unsubtle looks of disgust, it was obvious the he suspected something, but then again who wouldn't after having seen the two enter the forest hours ago and return after night had fallen?  
  
"As you wish Master Numair, Lady Daine," the guard said respectful, moving out of the way of the doorway. He stole a quick glance up at the watch tower that hung over the main gate. He smiled to himself. The Lioness sat up in the tower watching and waiting for what he suspected to be her friends. After the two had not returned from their walk, the King's Champion had become worried and had sat up in the watch tower to wait for them. Several times she had come down to ask if they had come and she had missed them. It would be amusing to hear them recieve the wrath of the Lioness for their night's escapades. He recalled many times when he'd fancied the beauty of the Wild Mage. He now found it unfair that her teacher, Master Numair, be the one to get her.  
  
Daine and Numair entered the fort, only to immediately hear the sound of rushed foot steps. They both looked around expectantly, but saw nothing. It wasn't until they heard a familiar, annoyed voice that they knew they'd been caught by more than just the guard. Alanna came rushing to them from behind the shadows after having run down from the watch tower. She gasped for breath from having run. She cleared her throat. "Where were you two?!" She asked, her eyes alive with a dangerous fire, the purple color glowing.  
  
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A/N: Well? Did you like it? I though I'd take this time to give you a heads up of what to expect for the next few chapters. I'm planning on Daine and Numair returning to the palace most likely in the next chapter and I'll do a few chapters at the palace before Daine has too go. Though its a lot of pointless fluff, these chapters are important! I've even included some foreshadowing in case you haven't noticed! the fluff was just to get you guys all ticked when Daine has to go bye bye....Trust me, the affect will be amazing...(rolls eyes) Anywayz, let me know if you're sick of the fluff cuz its sounds like a few of you are....DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW, OR I'LL HAVE YOUR HIDES!!!!!!!! 


	7. King Jarlath Of Jerkins, Galla

A/N: Ok, here is yet another chappy for you....I must say, I'm very pleased with the amount of reviews I'm getting!! Thank you so much, you're too kind! Don't think that you can suddenly stop reviewing now though. If the reviews stop, then I stop. Got that clear? Good. Now we can move on to the chapter....  
  
One last thing. I got a hint saying that the tension between Alanna and Numair is OOC and I totally agree. This chapter is going to be the last chapter that contains any of it. I had to do it once or twice because I felt it added to the story and because their personalities remind of ones that would clash. With that answered, I hope you understand why I put Alanna/Numair tension in this chappy....  
  
Disclaimer: I've gotten lazy about these. You know the drill. I don't own any of this yada yada yada and so on and so fourth....*yawns* Ok, that was boring so we'll move on now.  
  
I now present to you what you came here for. Drum roll please! *drum roll sounds* I give you, chapter 7 of Gallan Return!  
  
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Last View:   
  
Daine and Numair entered the fort, only to immediately hear the sound of rushed foot steps. They both looked around expectantly, but saw nothing. It wasn't until they heard a familiar, annoyed voice that they knew they'd been caught by more than just the guard. Alanna came rushing to them from behind the shadows after having run down from the watch tower. She gasped for breath from having run. She cleared her throat. "Where were you two?!" She asked, her eyes alive with a dangerous fire, the purple color glowing.  
  
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Daine's mind was rushing with confusion at the sound of Alanna's frantic voice. They had been caught and she knew it. There seemed to be no way out of this, at least no way that Daine could think of fast enough. They would need a good explanation to explain this, and they needed it now. How could anyone find a way to explain leaving for a walk sometime around midday and then returning in the late hours of the night? The worst part was, it hadn't just been herself out for a walk. She had gone along with Numair into the woods into the late hours of the night, unchaperoned and alone. To even the most nieve person, this would seem like a love affair in every way. There was no hiding it. -I can't exactly say that it isn't what's going on because it is,- Daine reminded herself with some amusement. If the court thought that Daine and Numair were more than just student and teacher, then they would be right.  
  
Luckily for both Daine and Numair, who did not by any means want their secret revealed, Numair was able to work out a solution right on the spot. " I'm sorry if we've worried you, Alanna. Daine and I decided to have a lesson somewhere private where things are quiet and we just, well, fell asleep," Numair made his excuse plainly. If Daine hadn't known what had really happened and what Numair was trying to hide, she would have believed him. He was very convincing. She could have kissed him for his own genius. It was their own poor luck though, that this particular lady knight was a hard one to convince.  
  
Alanna raised an eye brow at the two, not at all forgetting about her previous suspicions. The situation she had just discovered was not in their favor either. What Numair said sounded truthful, but she got the distinct feeling that neither were as innocent as they were pretending to be. "Numair Salmalin, what were you thinking getting yourself into another mess of gossip?!" Alanna voiced both her anger and her feelings of being unconvinced. In any case, she planned to give him an ear full, Daine too as soon as she had finished with him. "And not so long after the last time, too!" Alanna spat, not ever breaking eye contact with the mage. She didn't bother looking at Daine, but on instinct, she new the girl's face was a deep shade of crimson. "If you couldn't have thought of your own reputation, then the least you could have done was thought of Daine's!" Alanna knew her words were harsh, but it was something he had to hear, Daine as well. Even if they weren't secret lovers as she suspected, they had put themselves in a very convincing position, one that the court would not ignore. By tomorrow, the whole fort will have heard of it.  
  
Alanna's last statement struck a chord in Numair's heart. He knew Alanna was right, but her harsh words enraged him all the same. He felt anger boil up inside of him. He squeezed his hands shut into fists at his side until his knuckles turned white. "Now see here, Alanna! May Mithros curse the day when I can't be trusted to accompany Daine on a short walk without the court throwing us into a bed!" Numair hissed back, his anger rising all the further. He felt Daine's hand rest on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.  
  
"That's nothing but folly, Numair and you know it!" Alanna replied, dumbfounded by his words. "It was no short walk! You left around midday and you've returned just in time for the midnight bell!"  
  
"I already told you, Alanna! We fell asleep!" Numair argued back, not willing to let this drop. He would save Daine from gossip if it was the last thing he did. He feared he was too late though, and it was his own fault.  
  
"I know that, and you know that, but the court doesn't! They've put you two in bed since you first became friends! You of all people should know that and should avoid giving them any sort of reason to jump to such conclusions!" Alanna was losing her temper, and she knew it. At this point she didn't care. What Numair had done was unreasonable, and the consequences for his foolishness would come in the morning, she knew.  
  
"I don't care what the god's cursed court thinks!" Numair yelled in his final defense. He sighed heavily and raised his hands to his face to try to push back the anger and contain himself.  
  
"That's being fair selfish, Numair Salmalin! You very well may not care about a reputation you lost long ago, but what about Daine? In his case, you're responsible for both of your good names!" Alanna said angrily. One looks in his eyes told her that she'd gone too far. Though her anger didn't subside in the slightest bit, she knew from his sad eyes that she'd hurt her friend deeply.  
  
"How can you even begin say that I don't care about her?" he didn't even try to hide the hurt from his voice. She'd struck a painful chord in his heart. Though Alanna didn't know it, he often thought of himself as a monster for keeping Daine to himself and not letting someone of her own age have her as she so deserved.  
  
"Sometimes its hard to see that you do," Alanna had only dug her hole deeper.  
  
"Will you two stop it?" Daine spoke up finally, stress and worry evident in her voice. "For your information, Alanna, I don't care what the court thinks because no matter what I do, they'll still think it. What you said about Numair isn't at all true and you know it!"  
  
Alanna stared at her feet, wondering what to say. When she'd first come down to them, she'd been filled with anger. Now, she felt filled with shame at what she'd said to her friends. Though most of it was true, she'd been too harsh. "Numair, Daine, I'm sorry I was harsh, but you have to understand that I only said those things because I care," Alanna did her best to rectify her actions. "I love you both as my friends and it hurts me to hear what the nobles at court say about you. When I saw you two coming back from the forest at this hour, I knew that it was only a matter of time before the entire fort knew about it and soon the whole court."  
  
"Don't you think we know that and that we can handle it? We've only been gossiped about for the whole time we've known each other!" Numair said this with a slight grin. Alanna was pleased to see that his anger seemed to have faded away. It seemed that Daine knew best how to calm her lanky friend. -But is he just her friend?- Alanna questioned herself. Rubbing away such thoughts for the time being, Alanna allowed her mind to return to the present.  
  
"You do some fair foolish things at times," Alanna pointed out quickly. Numair sighed and nodded, not at all denying that she was right.  
  
"I'll agree with that any day," Daine added with a slight laugh, lightening the tense mood. At her side, she could feel Numair let out a breath he had been holding in, letting his body relax. She was glad their little spat hadn't gone any farther than need be. She hated it when her friends fought. She always ended up in the middle of things, and it was far from pretty.  
  
"I don't deny it," Numair reached up an arm to scratch the top of his head, ruffling his hair into a mess. A grin was planted on his face that said he forgave Alanna, and that was better than words to the knight.  
  
"We'd best be getting to bed, Numair," Daine prompted edging her head toward their sleeping quarters. She yawned to emphasis her point and to pull herself out of this awkward moment with Alanna.  
  
"Very true, my Magelet," he said in response, mimicking her yawn.  
  
"I suppose I should be heading off to bed as well," Alanna chimed in. "I'll see the two of you at breakfast. I'm assuming that Jon will be wanting you back at the palace soon, so a messenger will likely come to summon you."   
  
"And I couldn't be more thankful," Daine replied, sighing. Alanna looked at her quizzically.  
  
"At some point or another, you've been to just about every major fort in Tortall, Daine, and this is by far the best. Why are you in such a hurry to leave it?" Alanna asked with some amusement. She always found her young friend's train of though to be an excellent source of entertainment.  
  
"That may be true, but I'll still feel all the better as soon as I'm back at my rooms at the palace and can breath freely. Staying at a fort, even one so nice as this reminds me of war." Daine answered her friend's question.  
  
"Yes, I for one agree with that," Numair added.  
  
"I suppose you're right, Daine," Alanna said, thinking on the young woman's words. "War's taken its toll on me and I'm fair sure its that last thing I even want to think about now that its over." There was a brief moment of silence in which none of the trio spoke. Just the word war brought back painful memories of the battles fought not all that long ago. With war came pain and many things that anyone involved wanted very dearly to forget, but likely never would. " Well, as I was saying, I'd best be off to bed," Alanna said quickly, breaking the awkward silence. "I'm expected to be up with the sun and its getting fair late, and I need my sleep. I'll see you two in the morning." With that said, Alanna turned and left the two standing by the fort's side door. For a moment, they just stood there, not really sure what to do.  
  
"We'd best do the same, Magelet," Numair said quietly.   
  
"All right," Daine replied.  
  
Without another word to one another, Daine and Numair headed off to the Healer's Wing where they had first slept, both silently wishing that very little would come of their night's escapade. Perhaps in the morning they would receive news as to when they could return home. Daine hoped so, for she missed the palace. Not that Legann was uncomfortable to her, she just preferred familiar surroundings.  
  
Yawning one last time and muttering to Numair to have a good night, Daine slid into her cot, pulling her single blanket over herself and ruffling her pillow until it was comfortable. She closed her eyes and sent herself into a dream filled sleep.  
  
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(A/N: This next scene takes place in Galla, specifically in its capital at the palace in Jerkins.....)  
  
"Feron!" roared the voice of King Jarlath of Jerkins, Galla. He was rather flustered at the moment, and that emotion came out clearly in his harsh tone. Of course that was the tone he often used with his servants and almost everyone else. It was how he'd been raised and it was what he'd become.  
  
" Y-yes, Your Highness?" the servant whom Jarlath had summoned for came racing to his King. Drops of sweat were forming on his face. Jarlath always had a way of making everyone around him feel intimidated. The man always wore a frown, his eyes blazing with fire.   
  
"What time of day is it?" Jarlath's voice was rough and annoyed. He looked Feron directly in the eye, driving the man further into confusion.  
  
"Just around midday, Majesty," Feron replied meekly, knowing full well what the King's question meant.  
  
"And what happens everyday at this time that did not happen today?" Jarlath's eyes bore into Feron's asking a silent challenge. He smiled in amusement, watching the servant's body tremble with fear. It pleased him that his servants knew he was to be feared, that he wouldn't hesitate to punish them harshly for any wrongs committed.  
  
"I-I don't know, Majesty," Feron's eyes now darted down to look at the floor. He hung his head low in shame. This was the third time this week he'd failed the King, and Jarlath wasn't likely going to be pleased about it.  
  
"The news, you fool! The news!" Jarlath spat, letting all withheld anger spill out. He rose from his chair that he sat in, moving away from the desk.  
  
"Oh, yes, the news!" Feron said, eyes lighting up in recognition. "Forgive me, Your Highness, for so foolishly forgetting my duties," Feron silently prayed that Jarlath wouldn't lose his temper any more than he already had. Feron had learned through the years that it was not wise to bet a single copper on any unfortunate fellow who did wind up on the King of Galla's bad side.  
  
"Well?!" Jarlath spat, not at all letting his harsh tone decrease. "Where is it?!"  
  
"Right here, Majesty," Feron said, fishing into his tunic for the documents. He'd gone and collected them before his morning meal and had placed them within his tunic for safe keeping. He was known for losing things, and the last time he'd lost the King's mail, Jarlath had had him flogged. That was not an experience Feron was keen on repeating. Feron handed the letters over to the King, who snatched them from him eagerly. Feron knew what particular letter he was so eager to find. It was a response from Carthak. Several weeks ago, Jarlath had gotten in contact with Emperor Kaddar Siraj of Carhak and proposed that his son, Prince Aidan of Jerkins, Galla, be betrothed to Emperor Kaddar's niece, Lady Amira of Siraj. It would mean making a treaty with Carthak, one of the two main neighboring countries who hadn't made alliances with Galla. The remaining powerful neighboring country was that of Tortall.  
  
Jarlath fumbled through the large stack of letters until he found one with the royal Carthaki seal, a growling hyena, on it. He quickly tore through the wax, not even bothering to reach into his desk for his gold letter opener. There was no time for such delicacies. No, this was important information that Jarlath had waited weeks for. The letter was soon open, and his eyes darted from left to right as he frantically read its contents.  
  
To Whom It May Concern,  
  
I, Emperor Kaddar Siraj of Carthak, regret to inform you that I must decline your betrothal proposal for my niece. There is already a marriage lined up for her to a Tortallan noble. I hope that you do not take offense to this, for I am still willing to consider peace negotiations with Galla.  
  
-Emperor Kaddar Siraj of Carthak  
  
Jarlath crumbled the letter up in anger, eyes blazing. "How dare he?!" he pounded his fist down on his desk. Feron flinched at the King's reaction. It could mean only one thing, Aidan's betrothal wasn't going to happen. The King had been trying to get his son betrothed to a noble of a powerful nation for years, and had so far been unsuccessful. Most surrounding countries thought Galla to be weak, and thus useless to be connected to through marriage. "How dare that-that child, decline my proposal?!" the King's voice roared throughout all the halls and rooms within ear shot of his study. In his rage, Jarlath reached for anything he could find, and threw it aimlessly across the room and into the wall.   
  
  
  
Feron watched helplessly and fearfully as his King made a mess of his own study. Things were becoming quite a mess that Feron knew he would be in charge of cleaning up. He was Jarlath's personal servant. Each of the royal monarchs had their own servant and Feron had been unfortunate enough to become the King's. -I should be thankful I'm not the boy's- Feron assured himself quickly, running a nervous finger through his strands of gray tinged hair. He ducked quickly and with little grace so as to miss a flying vase. "That one was particularly expensive," Feron muttered under his breath, annoyed.  
  
After a while, and not before the King's study was in shambles, leaving no item unthrown, Jarlath calmed down a bit. He threw himself down into his black leather chair and brought it up to meet the desk. He cleared his throat and again began fumbling through the rest of the news. This was how things always went. When Jarlath was in a rage, he would become murderous and destroy Mithros knows what around and would suddenly stop, acting as if nothing had happened. It would, however, be a mistake to think that just because Jarlath acted as though all was well, that everything was indeed well. It was far from that, for Jarlath still boiled inside. It was only a matter of time before he sought revenge on who ever had dared displease him. Feron prayed to the gods for that person, for things often ended in their death.  
  
"What's this?" Jarlath's eyes lit up with interest as he reached a rolled parchment sealed with a red seal. The seal was of a lion that sat on its haunches and roared. Feron recognized it as the Tortallan seal, but obviously his master didn't.  
  
"Don't you recognize the Tortallan seal, Majesty?"Feron asked, silently amused. He paid for his words.  
  
"Silence!" Jarlath roared, pulling his attention from the note to his servant. "You are a servant and I am your master! It is not you place to be rude, Feron! I had hoped you had learned that after your last flogging!"  
  
"Y-yes, Majesty, I-I did," Feron replied, voice shaking with fear. Why had he been so stupid as to provoke Jarlath just after the King had gotten out of one of his rages? His knees now rattles together as he trembled with fear. " I w-was m-merely implying that I knew the seal."  
  
"Fine, fine," Jarlath muttered, signaling with his hands, for Feron to wait in silence. He now turned his full attention back to the Tortallan letter, completely ignoring Feron. His eyes darter across the page with interest as he read.  
  
To Our Royal Cousins In Galla,  
  
I, King Jonathan III of Conte, Tortall, hope to find you well in this time after the Immortal War. This is meant to be a note of status. I will be expecting to receive a similar letter from Galla. Our status is 2,000 dead and 165 missing.  
  
It is my pleasure to announce the death of the stormwing, the once emperor of Carthak, Ozorne. He was killed in battle by Tortallan's own, Wild Mage Veralidaine Sarrasri. The Gallans may know of her, for she was once from Galla. She will be rewarded for her bravery. I would also like to announce of another main enemy's death. That is of Inar Hadensra, killed in a mage's duel by the black robed mage, Numair Salmalin of Tortall.  
  
Yours In Peace,  
  
King Jonathan III  
  
Jarlath lifted his head up from its reading position, his eyes filled with thought. Veralidaine Sarrasri, once of Galla? Wasn't she the young girl that had once been from Snowsdale that had been reported to him years ago? If so, she was the one her village had reported as insane and on the loose. Upon hearing the news, Jarlath had ordered his men to keep an eye out for such a girl. The description he had gotten was thirteen years of age with blue gray eyes and smoky brown curls. To this day he thought that was an outstandingly beautiful profile, though he'd never actually seen the girl. He'd talked with many citizens who had, and they all said she was a brilliant example of feminine beauty, despite her madness.  
  
Then, an angering thought entered his mind. She was a known hero. She had power that none of the Gallan mages possessed. Not only did Tortall have one of the few black robed mages, but they also had the world's most powerful Wild Mage! Galla had not a single mage who possessed even the slightest amount of wild magic! Jarlath felt anger and jealousy cloud his mind to the point where he could think of nothing else. He envisioned how much power Galla would have if Veralidaine was among them. Power was what Jarlath had sought for most of his reign.   
  
Most of Galla's neighboring countries underestimated it. They would never bother with peace treaties with Galla, for they didn't consider Galla a threat. Jarlath had spent many years of his reign negotiating with the surrounding countries, trying to get them to sign minor treaties with Galla. Having alliances with neighboring countries meant power, and power was all that truly mattered to Jarlath. Most of the decisions made by Jarlath, no matter how minor, revolved around gaining power.   
  
The King's ambition to gain power had paid off for Galla over the years. He had indeed gained the support of several powerful neighbors. What's more, not a single nation suspected what a threat Galla had become. From what they knew of the minor country, Galla had a small army, barely fit to defend its borders and a navy fit for sailing in a mere pond. How wrong they were. Jarlath had spent countless days building up the Gallan army, tirelessly making it undefeatable. Soon all would know of how much they had underestimated Galla, and they would regret it. Soon, Jarlath would rule many of the surrounding countries after he had succeeded in conquering them. He would complete what that fool, Ozorne had failed at all those years ago.  
  
" I want the Wild Mage," Jarlath said at last. Feron looked up at the King, startled. Having already gone through the King's letters, Feron knew full well who Jarlath spoke of. "I will have her."  
  
"Shall I have the scribes prepare a letter of peace for you, Majesty?" Feron suggested, eye's alight with interest. It wasn't everyday his King went on a quest to gain a single person, a mere slip of a girl at that.  
  
"No, I think not, Feron," Jarlath said thoughtfully. His lips were parted in an evil grin that sent chills of terror up Feron's spine. "I see it foolish to try to obtain something from peace negotiations that I already have."  
  
Feron was baffled by this statement. What was Jarlath talking about? Veralidaine Sarrasri was on Tortallan soil. How did the King propose the get her? "I'm afraid I don't understand, Majesty," Feron said politely, hoping Jarlath would share his plans with him.  
  
"I didn't expect an uneducated servant such as yourself to understand, Feron, so allow me to explain," Jarlath said, his voice filled with evil pleasure. Feron was shocked at the King's friendly way of speaking to him. It was a rare occurrence that only came around when the King was in an extraordinarily good mood. A mood brought on by some evil scheme. "You see, there is no need for me to beg for something I already have."  
  
"I wasn't aware that any of the Gallan mages had wild magic," Feron said, not understanding Jarlath's true meaning for his words.  
  
"No, no, no!" Jarlath hissed in frustration. At his age and rank, he shouldn't be expected to put up with such foolishness from servants. "Of course none of my mages have wild magic! Its the girl though, Veralidaine Sarrasri. She is Gallan, according to this letter."  
  
"She may be Gallan, Highness, but she is loyal to Tortall," Feron was surprised at his own daring with the King. He would be lucky if he left the King's study without being sent to be flogged for his words.  
  
"I don't care who she is loyal to, Feron!" Jarlath roared, banging his fist down onto his desk. "It doesn't matter how loyal she is to Tortall, she still belongs to Galla! She had not the proper permission to flee to Tortall, thus she left illegally. Lucky for me, I passes that law not long before she fled. Now that I know of her existence, I can order her back."  
  
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A/N: Dun dun dun.....cliffy! And so the plot arrives in this chappy.....I also introduced two new characters that I'm sure you noticed.....don't forget to review or mark my words I will not continue to update!!! ^_^ 


	8. Going To Corus

A/N: Hey everyone......like the new characters? Well I surely didn't   
  
and you aren't supposed to because Jarlath is one of the   
  
meanies....lol...sorry if I'm stating the obvious....I'll just shut up   
  
now and get on with what you came here for, my fic....  
  
Oh, I'd like to congratulate Rosh and the forgotten fate for their -er-   
  
'successful' dating....I wish Rosh the best of luck...It seems like   
  
only 2 weeks ago I created him and now he's off dating my reviewers! Oh   
  
wait a minute....it was only two weeks ago....*sighs*  
  
Disclaimer: Yes, I suppose its best if I leave one of these....you know   
  
the drill, I own the plot and a few characters, but thats about   
  
it...*sighs* Anything you recognize isn't mine, and it likely never   
  
will be.....  
  
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       "Daine, Numair, you'd best wake up!" Alanna called into the   
  
small room the two friends were sharing. She pulled back the flap of   
  
canvas that served for a door, only to find them lying on two small   
  
cots, sound asleep. It was still rather early, now that Alanna thought   
  
about it, but not for her, for she had risen with the sun. It seemed as   
  
if it were time for the noon bell to ring, but that was still several   
  
hours away.  
  
       Alanna walked past Numair's cot and over to Daine's. The young   
  
woman slept peacefully, her chest slowly rising and falling as she   
  
slept. Much to Alanna's amusement, Numair didn't breath as easily as   
  
Daine. Even as he slept soundly, loud snores erupted from his mouth   
  
that hung open. It was a comical site, one Alanna couldn't recall   
  
seeing before. Stepping up beside where Daine lay, Alanna lay a hand on   
  
her young friend's shoulder, rousing her from her sleep. "Wake up   
  
Daine," Alanna said, not at all bothering to keep her voice low. She   
  
had no reason to keep quiet, for the only other person who shared this   
  
room with Daine was Numair, and Alanna was here to wake him as well.  
  
       Daine opened her eyes to find a pair of purple tinged eyes   
  
looking back at her. She almost jumped before she realized it was   
  
merely Alanna. She reached her hands up to her eyes to rub the sleep   
  
out. She then stretched thoroughly before turning her full attention to   
  
the lady knight. "What time is it, Alanna?" Daine asked, yawning. She   
  
sat up, leaning her back against the room wall.  
  
       "Its only around nine o'clock right now," Alanna said, eyes   
  
thoughtful. "I only came to wake you and Numair to tell you that I've   
  
just talked to Jonathan and he's asked that I send you back to the   
  
palace immediately."  
  
       " I didn't think we'd be summoned this quickly," Daine said,   
  
though not disliking the prospect of returning to the palace. It was   
  
the means of getting there that bothered her. During the war, she'd   
  
spent a lot of time traveling. This was especially so after she and   
  
Numair were transported into the Divine Realms by her Ma and Da. She   
  
didn't exactly fancy doing anymore traveling for a while. -Well I   
  
suppose once I get to the palace, I won't be going anywhere for a   
  
while- she thought hopefully. What she really wanted was for Jonathan   
  
to grant herself and Numair a good, long leave. Fighting in the   
  
Immortal war had taken its toll on her and she was sure it had had the   
  
same affect on Numair. They needed a rest. They'd earned a rest.  
  
       "I'm not surprised," Alanna said dryly, rolling her eyes. "When   
  
you two disappeared, Jonathan went into a frenzy. He was lost without   
  
his two best mages. Now that you're back, he's going to want a full   
  
report right away. The man has little patience. He won't let you rest   
  
until he's questioned you both thoroughly, so I'm warning you now."  
  
       "Sounds wondrous," Daine said sarcastically, causing Alanna to   
  
chuckle at her enthusiasm.  
  
       "Hmmm?" Numair mumbled, his voice muffled pillow his face was   
  
buried in. "What's wondrous?" His voice faded out with a yawn. He   
  
stretched out his lanky form, which overlapped the cot he lay on by   
  
several inches.  
  
       "Perhaps if you wake up, we'll tell you," Alanna prompted,   
  
fighting the urge to step over there and pour water on her lanky   
  
friend. She was still sore at him for the spider.  
  
       Numair groaned and threw the thin blanket off of himself. After   
  
stretching one last time, he sat up, leaning his back against the wall,   
  
mirroring Daine's sitting position. "I'm awake, now what's the news,"   
  
Numair said, voice no longer filled with sleep.  
  
       " I spoke with Jon this morning, and he wishes for me to send   
  
you two to the palace immediately," Alanna said, causing Numair to   
  
groan again.  
  
       " Not more traveling!" he voiced his annoyance. "The man hasn't   
  
even given us time to properly adjust to things!"  
  
       "Your reaction isn't far from Daine's," Alanna said with   
  
amusement. "I'm not saying I agree with Jon, because I rarely do, but   
  
once you get back to the palace and let Jon badger you for a day or so,   
  
you'll be free to rest in familiar surroundings. You'll be home."  
  
       "Yes, but its getting there that doesn't sound appealing," Daine   
  
said, hand placed firmly against her hip. "I'm fair sure that being   
  
badgered by the King isn't something I much look forward to."  
  
       " To be truthful, I envy you two for getting the chance to go   
  
home, despite the cost. I won't be able to get back to the Swoop, or   
  
even the palace for that matter, for months to come. I could be stuck   
  
surveying forts and war damage until just before Midwinter!"  
  
       "When are we expected back at the palace?" Numair asked dryly,   
  
planning to take his dear sweet time traveling to get there.  
  
       "He wants you to be on the road today," Alanna said, calmly   
  
awaiting outbursts of protest from her two friends. They did not let   
  
her down.  
  
       "WHAT?!" Numair yelled, thoroughly shocked. "He doesn't even   
  
give us a full day's start?!"  
  
       "No," Alanna said simply, though on the inside she was having   
  
fits of laughter. "Since when has Jon ever been reasonable?"  
  
       "I suppose you're right," Numair said grumpily. "We'll head out   
  
as soon as possible."  
  
       "I'll meet you outside by the stable in half an hour," Alanna   
  
said seriously. "That will give the two of you just enough time for   
  
breakfast. I'll be sure to have the hostler prepare Cloud and Spots."   
  
With that said, Alanna turned on her heal and headed out of the room,   
  
leaving Daine and Numair alone.  
  
       There was a brief moment of silence, both deep in thought. It   
  
was Numair who first stepped forward. Just as he moved towards Daine,   
  
his eyes darted towards the door to make sure no one was watching. He   
  
then closed the distance between himself and Daine, taking her into his   
  
arms. "I never got to properly tell you good morning, as I was rudely   
  
awakened by a certain lady knight," he said, eyes twinkling with   
  
mischief. He brought his lips down swiftly to hers. Holding her firmly   
  
against his chest, he kissed her an awaited her response. She soon   
  
responded with zeal, returning his passion. They each moaned with   
  
pleasure, not wanting to stop by any means.  
  
       "We need to go," Daine said reluctantly, pushing him away as he   
  
continued to run tiny kisses up her neck. "We barely have enough time   
  
for breakfast."  
  
       "You're right, sweet," Numair said, sighing in disappointment.   
  
However much he wanted to stay and proceed with what he was doing, he   
  
couldn't ignore the fact that he was rather hungry. As if to emphasize   
  
this point, his stomach growled in hunger. After planting one last   
  
swift kiss on her cheek, the two took a step back until they were   
  
standing a respectable distance away from one another. They then left   
  
the room and out into the open fort ground. They followed the path they   
  
had taken with Alana the previous day and made their way to the Mess   
  
Hall.  
  
       After eating a quick meal of biscuits with peach preserves for   
  
flavor and a glass of fresh milk, Diane and Numeric picked up their   
  
trays and brushed the remains of their breakfast into the trash pit to   
  
be burned. "We'd best get outside and meet Alanna," Numair said, a   
  
slight grin forming at the edge of his mouth. "She gets a temper when   
  
it comes to lateness." They began making their way to find the lady   
  
knight.  
  
       "Most knights are like that," Daine said wryly. Numair grinned   
  
at her comment, never missing a chance to mock Alanna behind her back.  
  
       "Very unlike mages," Numair said in mock seriousness. "We mages   
  
are very humble beings."  
  
       "You're about as humble as Alanna is tall!"Daine retorted,   
  
mocking him.  
  
       "Oh, and what is so wrong with that, hmmm?" Numair asked back,   
  
trying his best to flash her a hurt look, but failing miserably.  
  
       "I suppose nothing is wrong with it unless you have to deal with   
  
a mage on a daily basis," Daine replied after carefully thinking of an   
  
answer. After that, there was a brief moment of silence as they walked.   
  
In an odd way, it felt as if all eyes were on them as they walked. It   
  
made Daine feel as if there was a chill in the air. She longed to break   
  
the uncomfortable silence, but could think of nothing to say. She stole   
  
a glance at Numair, who walked alongside her at a respectable distance,   
  
and saw that he seemed to be feeling the same. It was obviously why he   
  
had let her mock insult to him slide without returning the blow.  
  
       They walked in silence the rest of the way to the stables. The   
  
awkward feeling of judgment never faded. Daine knew that the news of   
  
their escapade had spread as she knew it would. Good gossip spread like   
  
wild fire, even at a fort such as this. She hated to think of what   
  
would happen if they had been caught in such an act at the palace. The   
  
court would be in an uproar with gossip, of that she was sure. Daine   
  
wondered how long it would take for the news to reach the palace. Being   
  
that there were many clerks stationed here that Daine recognized from   
  
the palace, the news would travel fast upon their return. If Daine and   
  
Numair were lucky, they would get to the palace before the clerks did   
  
and would thus have time to prepare themselves for the revilement.  
  
       Soon, Alanna's short, burly form came into view, as did the   
  
stable. Tied to the mounting post was Numair's patient gelding Spots.   
  
The hostler had already saddle him and attached the necessary packs to   
  
his back. Cloud was nowhere in site, but Daine was not surprised. The   
  
only human ever to handle the frisky mare besides Daine herself was the   
  
palace hostler, Stefan, who had wild magic like Daine. "Where's Cloud?"   
  
Numair asked as soon as they had reached Alanna and the hostler. Unlike   
  
Daine, Numair hadn't jumped to the obvious conclusion.  
  
       "Daine, I think you're going to have to handle Cloud," Alanna   
  
said, her voice tinged with embarrassment. "We -er- had some trouble to   
  
say the least."  
  
       Daine was about to respond, but was interrupted by the voice of   
  
the hostler, who stood next to Alanna. "That's putting it mildly!" the   
  
man retorted, glaring menacingly at Daine. "That pony isn't even fit to   
  
be made into paste!" With that, the hostler stormed off, his footsteps   
  
soon fading away.  
  
       "What happened?" Daine asked curiously, slightly shocked by the   
  
hostler's behavior.  
  
       Alanna shook her head, a smile forming at the edge of her mouth.   
  
"Well, he'd already saddle Spots. He went to go saddle Cloud, but she   
  
threw a fit. She left a particularly nasty mark on his right shoulder."  
  
       "I've warned her not to misbehave," Daine said with a sigh. She,   
  
Alanna and Numair found the situation amusing all the same though. "I'd   
  
best go and saddle her myself." Daine left Alanna and Numair and her   
  
way into the stable. It was rather small, but then again, most stables   
  
were extremely small compared to the Royal stables at the palace which   
  
Daine was used to. Compared to the palace's two hundred stall stable,   
  
this one merely held one hundred stalls at most. Though the fort   
  
was constantly occupied by Riders and their mounts, most Riders let   
  
their mounts stay in the small pasture rather than in the stalls. The   
  
stalls were reserved for the particularly nasty mounts, usually   
  
knight's warhorse stallion.  
  
       "Cloud!" Daine called out as she went up and down each of the   
  
five rows of stalls looking for her steel gray mare. "This time I'll be   
  
sure to singe your tail for sure!"  
  
       -I'm sure you will, Daine-Cloud said sarcastically through mind   
  
speech.  
  
       -I've warned you to behave when I'm not around to make you-Daine   
  
said, scolding her mare for attacking the unsuspecting hostler. Daine   
  
reached Cloud's stall, unlatching the door. -Come on out, Cloud, we   
  
have to make a trip to Corus-  
  
       -Good, I've been needing to stretch my legs since you left me in   
  
this box for over a week without so much as a good bye. I was afraid   
  
you'd abandoned me and I would have to search for a new rider-Cloud   
  
said tartly. Daine stuck her tongue out at the mare. Quickly, for she   
  
did not want to keep Alanna and Numair waiting, she curry combed her   
  
mount, making sure there were no burrs that would irritate Cloud's back   
  
once the saddle was set in place. Once satisfied, Daine threw the brush   
  
aside and went to get Cloud's tack. She pulled out her usual teal   
  
saddle blanket, one that had been given to her as a Midwinter gift from   
  
Queen Thayet herself. Next came Cloud's saddle. It was of a reddish   
  
brown leather with a basket weave imprinted as a design. Her GrandDa   
  
had made it for her when she was only seven. It had last all the years   
  
since then and had served her well. Even after she'd tried many other   
  
saddles, none were as effective for her as that one. Her GranDa had   
  
been an excellent craftsman. Finally, Daine pulled out Cloud's bridle.   
  
It matched the saddle and was also made by her GrandDa.  
  
       "Daine!" Numair called as he entered the stable to look for his   
  
love. "Where are you?"  
  
       "I'm over here!" Daine hollered back, letting her voice guide   
  
him to her location. He was soon standing outside Cloud's stall.  
  
       "Are you ready yet? We really need to get going," Numair said,   
  
keeping a safe distance from the mare. Though he'd known Cloud a very   
  
long time, she'd never grown to like him, and showed him this by   
  
snapping at him every chance she got. On the rare occasion that she did   
  
actually bit him, he was left with large teeth marks on the spot for   
  
weeks after.  
  
       "Yes," Daine said, gripping Cloud's reigns as she readied to   
  
leave the stable. Just as she stepped forward though, she was stopped   
  
by Numair's hands on her shoulders, gripping her tightly. She looked up   
  
into his face to see his eyes twinkling as he looked back at her.  
  
       "Why not take advantage the few moments alone we get?" Numair   
  
said, his voice breathless. He closed his eyes and brought his face   
  
down to hers, swiftly kissing her. He let his lips linger for a brief   
  
moment, but drew them back quickly, eyes darting both ways to be sure   
  
none had seen. It was over all too soon, leaving Daine wanting more.   
  
She looked at her love and he smiled back at her. "I suppose here isn't   
  
the best place. Perhaps later, as we are traveling alone." Mischief   
  
danced on his face.  
  
       "Count on it," Daine said reaching up to his hands that still   
  
rested on her shoulders and knocking them off teasingly. He smirked at   
  
his love's choice of action, turning to follow her as she led Cloud out   
  
of the stable. Once outside and in the yard, Daine grabbed a handful of   
  
Cloud's mane, and used it to steady herself as she swung her right leg   
  
over the saddle. Once mounted, she turned to look into the direction of   
  
Spots to see Numair struggling, as he usually did, to mount the tall   
  
gelding. Spots was patient with the unskillful rider, moving closer in   
  
an attempt to help the mage mount. Daine chuckled at the gelding's   
  
antics. Spots really was the perfect, and perhaps only mount suitable   
  
for Numair.  
  
       Alanna walked over to where Daine sat mounted on Cloud. She had   
  
a look of amusement of her face as she watched Numair struggling to do   
  
what she considered a simple task. "And so we see Tortall's most   
  
powerful mage who once turned a living man into a tree, and yet he   
  
cannot even mount his steed," Alanna mocked Numair, chuckling. Daine   
  
joined in laughing at her lanky friend and love.  
  
       Once mounted, Numair wobbled a bit to help steady himself and   
  
gain back his posture. This made him look even more comical as he   
  
brushed the dust from his clothes after having fallen in the dirt   
  
several times from his failed attempts to mount Spots. After he had   
  
finally gotten himself in order, Numair turned his attention to the two   
  
women, her were in hysterical fits of laughter. "I resent that!" he   
  
called out to them, pretending to be hurt.  
  
       As Numair continued to shift around in his saddle, Alanna turned   
  
to look at Daine, her tone had gone from joking to serious. "Daine,   
  
watch out for yourself, all right?" Alanna said, her eyes sincere.   
  
Daine's eyes widened in curiosity. What did the Lioness mean?  
  
       "You know I will, Alanna, but why are you so worried all of the   
  
sudden?" Daine voiced her question.  
  
       "I just am," Alanna said, not wanting to reveal her suspiscions.   
  
She knew if her beliefs turned out to be false ones, Daine would   
  
genuinely be hurt by the knight's conclusion. It was best that until   
  
Alanna was sure she was right about Daine and Numair, she kept silent   
  
about it. If it turned out that she was wrong, then Daine and Numair   
  
need never know that she thought any different.  
  
       Daine let Alanna's strange behavior pass. She was too distracted   
  
at the moment to care. She'd been very distracted lately, and she   
  
didn't have to wonder why. She'd always heard the saying 'love does   
  
that to a person' and she now knew, and felt what that truly meant. It   
  
left you in a constant daze, almost as if you were in a whole new world   
  
and your life had just begun. Daine felt all of this and more, and had   
  
the distinct feeling that these things would only grow deeper as time   
  
passed.  
  
       "I shant hold the two of you up any longer," Alanna said with a   
  
smile, looking from Daine to Numair. "Its not wise to keep Jon waiting,   
  
especially since he's been so temperamental lately."  
  
"You're right about that, though I would love to put a word in edge   
  
wise to him for summoning us so early," Numair said dryly, but meaning   
  
every word. "I hope we'll get a chance to see you soon, Alanna." Numair   
  
added with a grin.  
  
       "Yes, I'll miss bickering with you, Numair," Alanna said before   
  
turning to Daine. "I'll miss you too Daine. Keep an eye on that sanity   
  
lacking teacher of yours, and please remember what I told you."  
  
       "You know I will," Daine said, just as she had said before.   
  
Numair looked from Alanna to Daine, puzzled. He sighed, and then turned   
  
Spots around, positioning him for the gait to leave. Daine did the   
  
same, giving him a look that said she'd explain the knight's words   
  
later.  
  
       "Open the gate, private!" Alanna called out to the gateman, her   
  
voice ringing. The man jumped to do so, not wishing to displease the   
  
Lioness. He stumbled as he hurried to fulfill his orders. He gripped   
  
the crank and pulled down on it with all his might. Soon, the main fort   
  
gate was slowly swinging open. Since there were just two riders   
  
leaving, he only opened it a short distance.  
  
       With one last wave to Alanna, both Daine and Numair urged their   
  
mounts forward and through the gate. Once outside, they heard the   
  
gateman pull on the crank once more, and pull the gate shut behind   
  
them. They were finally going home.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
       Night had fallen, and Daine and Numair stopped to make camp. It   
  
wouldn't be far to Corus, so they had only brought enough provisions   
  
for one night of camping. While Numair had busied himself in securing   
  
the camp with a magical barrier, Daine had begun unrolling their   
  
bedrolls. She first unstrapped her own from the packs the hostler had   
  
attached to Spot's saddle. Numair had already dug a pit he planned to   
  
use for a fire after he was done with the barrier, so Daine layed out   
  
her bed roll right beside it in order to keep warm through the night.   
  
She then went and unstrapped Numair's bedroll for him and laid it out a   
  
short distance from her own.  
  
       Once she had the sleeping arrangements in order, Daine moved on   
  
to collecting firewood. Though Numair could easily start a fire with   
  
his Gift, they would still need wood to fuel it and keep it going. She   
  
walked a ways into the woods that lay off to the side of the main road,   
  
away from the small break in the trees that she and Numair were using   
  
as a campsite. She gathered wood as she walked, and soon had enough to   
  
last for the night.  
  
       When she returned to camp, she found that Numair had moved a   
  
small log up to the fire pit to sit on. He was waiting for her to   
  
return with the wood. She walked over to him, wood in hand, and threw   
  
it onto the ground beside him. "I saw a small stream not far into the   
  
woods," Daine said, breaking the silence. He looked up at her, giving   
  
her his full attention. "I'm going to go bathe. I won't be long."  
  
       " All right Magelet," Numair said thoughtfully. "I'll start on   
  
supper while you're gone. Don't stray too far, only the gods know what   
  
lurks in these trees." Numair added as an after thought.  
  
       "All right," Daine said as she went to her pack to retrieve her   
  
toiletries. She pulled out a towel for drying on, and a bar of soap to   
  
scrub the dirt off of her body with. She then headed back into the   
  
forest, turning her eyes into that of a cat to enable her to see more   
  
clearly in the dark.  
  
       Once she reached the stream, she found that the moonlight leaked   
  
through the tree canopies just enough to give her light enough to see   
  
without her cat eyes. She quickly stripped off her shirt and breeches   
  
and tossed them aside. She then tested the cool water of the stream   
  
with the tip of her toe. It was unbearably cold, but it would have to   
  
do. She slipped out of her breast band and loincloth and stepped in.   
  
She hurriedly waded into the stream until she was up to her waist in   
  
water. She reached for her soap and quickly washed herself, in a hurry   
  
to get done so she could get out of this cold water and into her dry   
  
clothes.  
  
       As she scrubbed, Daine could see the smoke from their campsite   
  
coming up over the trees. If not for the trees, for they were too   
  
thick, she would likely be able to see a slight glow coming from the   
  
fire as well. Once done, she quickly dashed out of the water and was   
  
immediately met by the cool night air against her bare skin. It was of   
  
little more comfort than the stream water, so she hurried to put her   
  
clothing back on.  
  
       Daine dashed through the trees and back to camp, longing for the   
  
warmth of the fire. When she stepped through the last of the trees and   
  
into the clearing, Daine found that Numair had successfully gotten a   
  
fire started. He had also pulled out all of the cookware and had   
  
started dinner. From the smell coming from the fire, it smelled like   
  
soup with steamed vegetables and chunks of chicken in it. That was   
  
usually what they had when they cooked while camping, for it was easy   
  
to preserve and take on long journeys.  
  
       "That smells good," Daine said, taking a seat next to Numair,   
  
who sat on a log by the fire, slowly stirring the soup. "I'm starved."  
  
       Numair smiled at her compliment and snaked his spare arm around   
  
her waste. "You were gone too long," Numair said, tightening his arm   
  
around her teasingly.  
  
       "I wasn't gone more than half an hour!" Daine retorted, grinning   
  
at his complaint.  
  
       "I stand by what I said, you were gone too long!" Numair   
  
protested, grinning from ear to ear. He leaned down and kissed her   
  
warmly and lovingly. He moved from her lips to cover her entire face   
  
with kisses. Daine threw her head back to better contain his passion.   
  
She moaned in pleasure, as did he. She could feel his hands trembling   
  
from the passion as they ran up and down her back. All notions of   
  
watching the soup to see that it didn't burn were forgotten. It wasn't   
  
until an intense burning smell filled the air around them that the two   
  
lovers came back to reality. Numair suddenly snatched his lips from   
  
Daine's mouth and jumped to save their dinner. He threw the lid off of   
  
the pot and black smoke poured out of it, filling the air.  
  
       "Gods curse it!" he muttered, stirring what was left of the   
  
soup. Luckily, it wasn't completely ruined, for both travelers were   
  
rather hungry. "I think it's only slightly burnt."  
  
       "That's alright, Numair," Daine supplied, looking over his   
  
shoulder to see how bad off their dinner was.  
  
       "Yes, well, its done now," Numair said with a slight laugh. "You   
  
got me distracted and it almost burnt!" He added jokingly.  
  
       "I believe it was you, Master Salmalin, who were doing most of   
  
the kissing!" Daine replied, lightly slapping his shoulder. Numair   
  
laughed so hard at this comment, he almost snorted.  
  
       "If you weren't so irresistible, Magelet, then I might have been   
  
able to control myself," Numair said teasingly, not turning away from   
  
the soup. Though Daine could not see, for his back was mostly to her,   
  
his eyes twinkled with pleasure from the passion they had just shared.  
  
       Daine laughed at this, not knowing entirely what to say. She had   
  
never received such a compliment before. She let this thought pass,   
  
telling herself she'd think about it later. Numair passed her a bowl of   
  
the slightly burnt soup, which she accepted gratefully. She moved from   
  
his lap to sit in the place beside him. They ate in silence, both   
  
considering different things that had been on their mind often in the   
  
past few days.  
  
       When they both had finished, Daine put away everything and   
  
cleaned up the mess. This was a routine for herself and Numair. When   
  
traveling, they would take turns with the different chores that went   
  
along with it. If Numair made dinner, Daine would do clean up and then   
  
make dinner the next night. She had soon cleaned up everything that   
  
Numair had taken out to use for their dinner, for there hadn't been   
  
much. It was a short trip to Corus, so neither so any reason to bring   
  
much along.  
  
       Forgetting about Numair for the present moment, Daine went to go   
  
and sit on her bedroll. Just as she sat, she felt a large hand on her   
  
shoulder as Numair turned her to face him. He sat on his knees next to   
  
her, mischief written in his eyes. "Now where were we?" he asked, voice   
  
filled with emotion. Daine felt giddy from his words, hoping he would   
  
carry them out.  
  
       "Here," she replied in little more than a whisper, leaning   
  
forward and planting a kiss on his neck. He pulled her roughly to his   
  
chest, his hands gently caressing her arms. He kissed her forehead   
  
lightly, and then rained tiny kissed down the side of her face. She   
  
lifted her arms in the air and wrapped them around his neck, pulling   
  
her face closer to his own. She could now feel his warm breath against   
  
her skin, their faces touching. He was drawing in ragged breaths,   
  
fighting the passion to keep it from over taking him. He didn't want to   
  
get carried away, or did he? He wiped that thought from his mind for   
  
the present, and preceded to lock his lips firmly with his loves for   
  
the time being.  
  
       "Mmmm, I love you," he said raggedly, his voice quiet. As he   
  
again brought his lips to hers, she fell back, letting the passion   
  
consume her. Soon, he was on the ground and on top of her. Their lips   
  
were locked in a passionate kiss, sending chills of pleasure up both of   
  
their spines.  
  
       Running her fingers through his long strands of raven black   
  
hair, Daine held him close to her, as he held her close. Suddenly,   
  
everything stopped. He seemed to freeze on top of her, as if caught in   
  
some horrible act. Daine opened her eyes to look up at him, and saw   
  
many emotions flaming in his fiery eyes. One she could clearly see was   
  
his love for her, another was one she'd seen before, but had never been   
  
able to identify. It was an emotion that caused his eyes to darken and   
  
his breaths more ragged. It was an emotion that gave her an excitement   
  
that she never got from anything else.  
  
       Another emotion Daine saw clearly was a look of confusion. He   
  
seemed torn between two ideas. Daine longed to comfort him, to quell   
  
the look of longing that burned deep in his every feature. Hesitantly,   
  
she spoke up. "What's wrong, Numair?" she asked, her voice shaking   
  
every bit as hard as her limbs were. Her whole body trembled beneath   
  
his weight, and Daine was sure she could feel his body tremble as well.  
  
       "Sweet, I-" Numair began, but cut himself off, not fully knowing   
  
how to put his emotions into words. Fire suddenly rushed into his eyes,   
  
brighter than she'd ever seen before. He seemed to lose all notion of   
  
whatever he had begun to say just moments before. He pulled her face up   
  
to meet his suddenly, taking her off guard. She gave into him, letting   
  
him kiss her with the fire and passion that flowed through his veins.   
  
Through all the times he had kissed her, this time she had gotten a   
  
whole knew feeling. It felt as though she had never kissed before. She   
  
had a feeling she knew what was making her feel this way, but she put   
  
that thought aside for later. There would be other times for rational   
  
thinking.  
  
       Suddenly, and all too soon for the both of them, Numair jerked   
  
his head back, much as he had done before. "Daine-" he breathed, doing   
  
his best to regain himself and speak rationally to her. He was finding   
  
this impossible. He had let the passion take him too far, and now it   
  
was clouding his mind. "I-I, I mean-" he stuttered as he spoke, hands   
  
shaking uncontrollably as he grasped her hands in her own. "I-we-We   
  
need to stop." he finally said what he had meant to say before, and it   
  
had been to the best of his ability this present moment.  
  
       Once he had choked these words out, he rolled off of his love   
  
and went to move over and into his own bedroll. He turned on his side,   
  
refusing to face her. "We don't have to stop if you don't want to,"   
  
Daine offered scooting over to place a hand on his shoulder. His body   
  
reacted immediately to her touch, even though she had only touched him   
  
in the slightest way.  
  
       "No," he said firmly, though it had been hard to do so. It had   
  
taken every ounce of his self-control. "W-we should wait." his voice   
  
came out ragged, barely understandable.  
  
       Daine thought for a moment, and felt her rational thoughts   
  
returning to her. She nodded to his words, though he could not see for   
  
his back was turned to her to block out any temptation. "Yes," she said   
  
after a while, "Yes, you're right." With that said she pulled back the   
  
cover of her bedroll and slipped inside. Though she hadn't known it   
  
moments ago, for she had been rather preoccupied, she was fair tired.   
  
Since they would have to rise early the next morning so as to get a   
  
decent start on their journey to Corus, Daine thought it best to get   
  
some sleep. "Good night, Numair," she said with a yawn, just before   
  
pulling her covers up to her chin.  
  
       "Good night, Magelet," Numair said, not sounding the least bit   
  
tired. All was silent after this last comment was made. All that could   
  
be heard was the crackling of the fire that still blazed beside them as   
  
a source of warmth and all natural sounds of the forest. Daine heard a   
  
cricket chirp nearby, and the whoot of an howl not long after.   
  
Drowsiness began to pull her in, erasing the sense of the cool night   
  
air upon her face. It only took a few minutes for her to drift off to   
  
sleep, the sounds of nature lulling her into dreamland.  
  
       Unlike Daine, Numair did not drift off to sleep so fast. He was   
  
up for hours past the moment when they had said good night to one   
  
another. He was deep in thought, and in feeling. He couldn't wipe away   
  
the intense longing for his Daine. He hadn't wanted to stop, but he had   
  
known full well what was proper.  
  
If it had been anyone else, someone he loved any less than Daine, he   
  
would not have stopped. It was his deep love for her that had told him   
  
he had gone to far. It was also her deep love and his deep love for her   
  
that had made it so difficult for him to stop what he was doing. Now,   
  
he sat awake, listening to the sounds of the forest. He had a feeling   
  
that he wouldn't be able to drift off to sleep any time soon.  
  
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A/N: Well? What do you think? I think I went more intimate than   
  
usual....please feel free to let me know if I went too far, or for that   
  
matter not far enough. I love to hear your comments, and I usually take   
  
you suggestions, so if you have an ideas, I'd appreciate you dropping a   
  
review. In fact, if you guys don't review, I won't update, so just keep   
  
that in mind..... ^_^ 


	9. Apologies And Homecomings

A/N: Thankies for all the compliments on last chapter! I am so incredibly in shock over the wonderful things you guys said to me! *does dance* I love getting nice reviews....hehe...anyway, I saw your suggestions and I plan to take them into account, don't worry!  
  
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Daine awoke from her night's rest to find that Numair was already awake. It was still rather early, for the sun was barely beginning to show over the horizon. The area really was beautiful, Daine thought. Since she and Numair had traveled down this trail after dark, she hadn't been able to see the wondrous trees that lined the path and the green patches of grass scattered across the forest floor. The grass was now wet with dew, making the leaves that had fallen from the trees stick to it.  
  
Numair sat on the log by the fire. His hands were busy making breakfast, which put Daine in a cross mood. It was her turn to do the work, and she thought he was being unfair to himself for not waking her to do it. However, at the site of the guilty look in his eyes, Daine forgot to be cross to him. She had a feeling she knew what had put that look in his eyes. "Morning, Numair," Daine said, trying to lighten the mood. She yawned quickly, trying to cover up the fact that she had secretly been watching him while he thought her to be sleeping.  
  
"Good morning, sweet," he replied half heartedly. Something seemed to be bothering him deeply. She sensed a sort of longing in his voice, and also a sense of restraint and she had a feeling she knew why. He wanted very much to take that next step with her, as she did with him, but they both knew it was too soon. It wouldn't be right.  
  
"Why didn't you wake me, Numair? You know its my job to cook breakfast," she said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.  
  
"I'm sorry, sweet. I just didn't think to wake you. You looked so peaceful,"Numair said, his voice just as distant as before.  
  
"Yes, well, I feel bad having you cook two meals in a row," Daine said, getting up from her bed roll and going to join him on the log by the fire. She could have sworn than as soon as she moved to sit next to him, he flinched.  
  
"That's quite all right, Daine,"Numair said, his mind coming no closer to her than before. He seemed so distant. It was beginning to bother Daine. It seemed that every time she glanced at him he would wince and attempt to scoot away from her. She felt hurt by his odd behavior. Not willing to take any more of this behavior from him, she rose and went ti her pack. She grabbed a set of clean clothes and then went to stand in front of him.  
  
"I'm going to go down to the stream again to change," Daine said, letting her irritation with him show clearly. From the look in his face, she knew that he had caught this show of emotion and also that he wished to make it right. He stopped himself once again though, eyes filled with restraint. Gods how she wanted to beat him over the head! Perhaps it would knock some sense into him.  
  
"All right, Daine," was all Numair managed to say. He turned away quickly and let his full attention move back to the fire. He busied his hands with readying the food, completely ignoring the fact that Daine hadn't moved an inch from where she stood.  
  
Sighing in frustration, Daine stormed away, walking fast to clear her mind. Perhaps if she went down to the river for a while, she would forget her irritation with him and would cool down enough to be rational in speaking to him. She wondered if he knew what he was doing. He probably did, and knowing him, he probably also had his reasons. Hopefully, he wouldn't hole those back from her either. She had a feeling that all of this strange behavior revolved around what had happened the previous night, and that irked her even more.  
  
Stomping all the way, Daine made her way down the path she had taken the night before that had led her to the small stream. It took only a short time to reach it, much shorter than the night before, for this time she had a the light of day to guide her. It was very pretty now that she actually got a chance to look at it. The sun's rays bounced merrily off of the tree's leaves and off of the rocks. It reflected beautifully against the current of the stream. Birds were singing happily near by, telling Daine that they too were enjoying the area's beauty.  
  
Smiling at the calming music the birds made, Daine stepped behind a nearby bush and begin to change. Once she had gotten herself fully clothed with the change of clean clothes she had brought along, she contemplated going back to camp. It didn't take her long to decide against it. From the rapid beat of her heart, she knew she was still rather vexed with him, and decided it was best to calm down before facing him to talk things out. Yes, she wanted to know what was on his mind, but she didn't want to get into a spat with him while trying to persuade him into telling her. If she went back now, she might saw something the both of them would regret. Yes, it was better to wait here for a while.  
  
Daine moved back from behind the bush and went to sit on a nearby rock. It was a large one, perhaps a boulder that had fallen down the nearby mountains long ago. Numair had told her of such things a while back. He had said that any large boulders found in the forests had had to come from the closest mountains to the forest, for rocks did not just appear out of no where. He had said that harsh conditions and bad weather throughout the years would cause the rocks to shift and gradually roll down the mountain. Daine had found the whole subject rather boring at the time, and she still did, but had to admit that it was useful to know.  
  
-Drat it!- Daine cursed herself. -I can't even sit on a rock in the woods without thinking about him!- Grumbling, Daine crossed her arms firmly over her chest in a pout. She knew that she was being stubborn in not just going back to camp and talking things out with Numair, but just now, she didn't want to be anything but stubborn.  
  
As she continued to brood over the morning spat, Daine heard a rustling in the bushes and soon after the sound of boots padding against the dirt nearby. She jerked her head up in alarm, only to find that a familiar lanky form was making its way through the brush to get to her. Numair made his way across the bank of the stream and trodded over to the rock on which she sat. He bore a sheepish look on his face as he took a seat next to her. She refused to acknowledge him, coming to the decision that it was best that she not hold in her feelings of annoyance with him. If neither of them told the other when they felt things weren't right, then this relationship would go no where either of them wanted it to.  
  
"Breakfast is ready," Numair said quietly, breaking the awkward silence. Daine turned her head to look at him. Though he had a rather dark complexion, she could still see light tinges of scarlet as he blushed.  
  
"All right," Daine replied, showing no emotion and fighting to do so. Just as she got up and turned to go, she felt a large hand on her shoulder. Numair had reached out a hand to stop her.  
  
"Daine wait-" he said quickly, letting his sentence hang, though his voice had been urgent. He turned her to face him, letting their eyes meet. At first glance, his eyes immediately darted to the ground, but Daine reached out a hand to lift his face to meet hers. He looked her directly in the eyes once more, not letting go of her shoulder. "I haven't said all I came to say," he paused briefly to gauge her reaction before continuing. He saw annoyance clearly in her features, but deep beneath that, as if hiding, he saw longing. He sought after that longing. "I know I haven't been the best person to you this morning, and I'm sorry. Please don't stay angry with me, I don't think I could take it."  
  
Daine felt her eyes well up with tears, for she knew that he could never know how much his words had meant to her. This had been such a small, silly spat, yet he had still found it in his heart to treat it as if it had been far larger. It made Daine's heart melt to know that he loved her that much. "I couldn't be mad at you now," she said, throwing her arms around his neck to emphasize her point. She could feel his mouth against her neck. He was grinning from ear to ear.  
  
Numair pulled her down into his arms before rising. She giggled as he began heading back for camp, carrying her all the way. Normally she would refuse such things, but just now she found it enjoyable. He too laughed, holding her tight against his chest to prevent her from escaping.  
  
Once back at camp, he sat her down carefully on the log by the campfire. Waiting beside the fire was their breakfast of hot porridge. Daine was thankful for this, for all she had had for breakfast for the past few weeks was hot cakes, eggs, rolls, and gravy on occasion. In the Divine Realms every meal had consisted of soup for it was easy to keep while traveling long distances on rough terrain.  
  
"How much farther till we reach Corus?" Daine asked curiously and to spark conversation.  
  
  
  
"We should reach it around noon today, give or take a few hours," Numair said, taking a spoonful of porridge. Daine blew on her spoon, thinking on his words. She would be glad to be back at the palace.  
  
"It'll be fair nice, being back at the palace," Daine said, eating the spoonful of porridge she had been blowing on to cool.  
  
"I should think so, though I doubt the relaxation will set in before tomorrow. Knowing Jon, he'll have us summoned into his study the second we arrive," Numair said, his tone annoyed. If it wasn't the king of Tortall he was dealing with, he would tell the man a thing or two about courtesy.  
  
"I'm getting fair sick of telling our little tale," Daine said with a sigh. Numair's mood was lightened by this, for he chuckled at her comment.  
  
"I'll do most of the telling if you'd prefer it, magelet," He said, still chuckling.  
  
"That would be nice, but I'll still have to be there," Daine said in response. There was a slight wind picking up, blowing her mass of smoky brown curls every which way.  
  
"Of course you will!" Numair replied quickly, "I'm not going to talk to Jon without you around, for I seem to naturally take better care of my temper when you are in my presence."  
  
"I'll agree with you on that, Master Salmalin,"Daine replied with a grin. After that, the two sat in silence, simply eating their breakfast. Finally, Numair stood up, and brushed the dirt off of his clothing before stretching.  
  
"Well, Daine, I suppose we should be going. We are after all expected at the palace," Numair said, not hiding the harshness his voice took on when he spoke of following Jon's unfair orders.  
  
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It was exactly one hour past noon that Daine and Numair arrived in Corus. As usual, the streets of the capital were streaming with people, merchants mostly and anyone else traveling on business matters. Being that Corus was the capital, it was always packed to the brim with people from just about everywhere. From what Daine had heard from Alanna's stories, it had been the streets of Corus in which she had found a certain black robed mage who was passing for a street magician, doing tricks for his measly one meal a day. Now, that very mage rode beside her, top mage in the country, and perhaps the world. It was fickle the way this single city, no matter how wonderful, could turn a person's life around. She too had been affected by Corus. It had been to this very city which she had followed Onua and fallen into the king's favor. Not to mention falling into the arms of the mage beside her. Perhaps these things and more were what made Corus so great. People just knew what sort of place could turn their lives around.  
  
The sound horses hooves clopping against the cobblestone streets filled the air. The cries of persistent merchants trying to sell their goods was also in the midst. Daine felt a sense of home creeping up on her, and she realized how much Corus meant to her. It was her home, where she belonged. It was hard to believe that she, Veralidaine Sarrasri, a commoner, could somehow have gained the favor of the king enough to call the palace in Corus home, yet alone alongside the country's most powerful and respected mage.  
  
Daine pulled Cloud up to walk neck and neck with Numair's mount, Spots. He turned to face her and smiled. His face too held the look one only after returning home from a long journey. "How does it feel, you know, getting back home?" Numair asked as they rode, his voice loud so as to carry over the noise of the streets.  
  
"Feels like home to me," Daine called back, fighting to be heard over the surrounding noises.  
  
"Well, that's good," Numair said back loudly, but them quieted his tone to that that only he could hear, "Because I wouldn't want home for you to be anywhere else." -I need her here with me.....forever- Numair thought to himself. He'd never meant the word forever more than he meant it just now.  
  
It didn't take long for Daine and Numair to ride through the streets of Corus, and all the way up to the palace gates. Numair gave their names to the guard, though it was highly unnecessary, for the guard new full well who they were. Lately, it was hard for Daine and Numair to go anywhere that no one knew them. Their deeds for Tortall were widely known, especially in foreign lands.  
  
Since Daine's room was in a completely different wing of the palace than Numair's, the two split up to go and get things settled in their rooms. Daine headed to her room's near the Riders barracks and Numair to the Mages wing where his rooms were.  
  
  
  
As soon as Daine opened up the door to her rooms, it hit her. She was home. The war was finally over, and she was home. A feeling of relief coursed through her veins, such that she'd never felt before. It seemed as though her life had ended and had started again from this moment forward. She knew now that for many reasons, life wouldn't be as it was before. For the most part, it would likely be better.  
  
Daine sat her bag on the floor of her bed chamber and threw herself onto her bed. She let out a sigh of relief, a smile playing on her face. Closing her eyes, she decided to take time to relax before unpacking. Just as she let her mind drift, she remembered something important that she hadn't thought of since before her and Numair's trip to the Divine Realms. Kitten. Before she had left, Kit had been in the charge of her immortal friend, Tkaa the basilisk. Daine could slap herself for not remembering the dragonet before now!  
  
Curling up to take a quick nap before unpacking and seeing that everything was in place, Daine decided she would go see to Kit's whereabouts later. After all, the dragonet was in good hands. Tkaa would never let anything happen to her. He had been just as much of a guardian to Kit as Daine. In fact, most of the time he was better for her because he was very knowledgeable about immortals, for he was one himself. He also knew a great deal about dragons, which made it easy for him to teach Kit new tricks and spells using her dragon magic. Tkaa had also promised that when the time came, he would teach the dragonet mind speech so that she could communicate with Daine and Numair. That would be a very long time away though, for Kit would be an infant for at least thirty years.  
  
Just as she began drifting off, Daine envisioned her new life now that the war was over. For some reason which she was too tired to question, Daine saw herself kissing Numair in front of a large crowd of people. She wore a wedding dress and people cheered as the two were made one by marriage. Little did Daine know, a smile played at her lips as the dream went on. It led her into a peaceful sleep.  
  
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Daine awoke to rapid knocking on her door. Groaning, and definitely not wanting to get up, for she hadn't slept in a proper bed for a very long time, she rose from her bed and made her way through her bed chamber and into the main chamber. Sighing, she opened the door. It was a young page, one she did not recognize. He looked to be several years younger than she. His eyes were shimmering emerald green which Daine found to be rather handsome. His hair was much like her own, except for the fact that it was a great deal lighter. His fair skin made these features stand out. He seemed to tremble before her, which bothered her a bit, so she smiled to make him feel more confident. His eyes brightened a great deal at this friendly gesture from Daine.  
  
"Lady Sarrasri?" the page asked nervously. "The king wishes to see you in his study right away."  
  
"All right," Daine said, smiling at the boy, though she wasn't at all happy about the news he had brought her. She had hoped it would be something quick so that she could get back to resting, but of course it wasn't. She should have known Jonathan would have summoned her and Numair so soon. It was just as Numair had said.   
  
Just as the page turned to go, Daine stopped him, deciding she might as well meet him. "What's your name?" she said quickly putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him from retreating again into the halls.  
  
"I-Its Nealan," the page said shakily, clearly nervous."Nealan of Queenscove."  
  
Daine immediately recognized the name. This was clearly the son of Duke Baird, the head of the palace Healers and a man Daine knew rather well. She had no idea that Baird's son had planned to be a page. Last she had heard, his son was in training to be a Healer. "Oh, then you must be Duke Baird's son!" Daine said, trying to be polite. She wanted to help calm the page's nerves. He wasn't all that much younger than her from what she knew from Baird. He wasn't all that bad looking either. "I suppose you already knew this, but my name's Veralidaine Sarrasri. I'd prefer it if you'd just call me Daine, most folk do."  
  
The page Nealan blushed at this informal comment. He wouldn't deny the fact that he was very much attracted to this young woman. She didn't look to be much older than he. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he would get to know her better. "All right then L- I mean Daine," Nealan searched his mind for something else to say to this beautiful young woman. "You can just call me Neal if you'd like."  
  
Just as Daine was about to answer, another, more familiar voice split the air near by. "Daine, did you get them summon from Jonathan?" Numair said coming to stand outside the door next to Neal. Looking down, he noticed Neal and then nodded in recognition "Oh, well I see you did then. We'd best be going. I shant like to keep Jonathan waiting. According to Alanna, he's been a tad bit more temperamental lately."  
  
Daine laughed at her love's comment. She stepped out the door, closing it behind her and also completely forgetting about Neal. Numair offered her his arm, which she took gladly, holding onto him a but tighter than was proper for teacher and student. It wasn't until she heard a small sigh from behind her that she remembered the page, Neal. "Oh, Neal!" she exclaimed, thoroughly embarrassed for having forgotten him. "I'm sorry, but I must be going with Numair here to go see the king."   
  
"Its not a problem, Daine," Neal said, blushing profusely and hoping that his light skin didn't make it show too much. "I'll see some other time?"  
  
"That'd be fair nice," Daine said, not wanting to be rude. This Nealan was actually rather nice. She turned back to Numair, who she could have sworn was scowling at the page. She felt amused by this, but decided not to mention it to the mage. Without a word to Numair, who also chose to remain silent, the two set off for the king's study. Both sincerely hoped that Jonathan wouldn't keep them too long.  
  
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A/N: I need some help from you guys....See I don't know much about Neal, so you're gonna hafta let me know if I make him mucho outta character....I don't like Kel, so she won't be in my fic. I just threw in Neal for the fun of it. I think Perin will show his slimy little face in the next chappy...hehehe...review, and perhaps I'll have the next chapter up before christmas. If you don't, then don't expect me to update anytime before Easter! 


	10. Jealous Pages, Not To Mention Mages

A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry that I've taken so long to update! I had A LOT of homework this past week, not to mention this odd idea for a new fic.....I recently posted it and its called 'When Things Aren't Always What They Seem.' I encourage you to read it, and do realize it ends not that bad...It has an odd twist to it...hehe....  
  
Also, a quick note to those who decided to help me with Neal. Thankies a bunch to you all! It was a great help, cuz he is going to be in this fic for a few chapters...Also, I'm making him quite a bit younger than Daine, but still old enough to have an interest in her. And you won't find Kel in this fic at any time. I hate her. She should die. Moving on....  
  
Oh and, yes, the plot will come up very soon! You'll be pretty mad, I'm sure, when it does, but it has to some time! I mean, that is the whole reason this lousy fic even exists....But never fear, the fluff will always be here!  
  
Disclaimer: I still own nuthin but the plot.....don't sue me please cuz that's not nice...  
  
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Much to Daine and Numair's dismay, Jon did keep each of them for a rather long time. He questioned them and quizzed them until they each thought their heads were spinning. They had already told their story twice to two other people, and now that they were past the third, having told it to Jon more than once, they were getting rather annoyed. It seemed the king would never stop questioning them, and perhaps he wouldn't have, had Thayet not intervened.  
  
"Jon!" Thayet called to him, entering his study without knocking. She was the queen after all, and so no need to be formal with her own husband. "Leave Daine and Numair alone for a spell! You've kept them for over three hours!" Thayet scolded her husband, who merely scowled at her, knowing she was right.  
  
"Thayet, they have important information for me, things I don't want to look over," Jon explained, ignoring his wife's protests and blocking out Numair obvious, loud, sigh of frustration.  
  
"There can't be much they haven't told you in the time they've been here," Thayet said, putting a hand on her hip as she stood in the door way of Jon's study. After a brief moment, she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "You may have forgotten, seeing as you've gotten rather preoccupied lately, but the dinner bell just rang and you're expected to dine with the pages and squires in the mess hall."  
  
Numair let out a hinting cough, letting his approval of Thayet's words show clear. Daine noticed this and merely rolled her eyes. She was getting fair tired of this little meeting with Jon, just as much as her lover was.  
  
"Numair, you'd best go and see a Healer about that cough," Jon said with mock concern, showing the first sign of humor since the end of the war. "It sounds to me like you're coming down with a case of unemployment."  
  
  
  
Numair snapped his head up at hearing Jonathan insult him directly. Jon had caught him off guard, and had gotten one past him. Everyone in the room besides Numair broke into laughter. Numair let this slide, knowing full well how few times Jon had even done such a simple thing as smile for several months. He turned to look at Thayet and saw a look of genuine happiness on her face. She must miss her husband when he went into one of his moods. When this happened, all he concerned himself with was matters of his kingdom. Nothing else mattered in these times, not even friends or family.  
  
Sighing, Jon held up a hand, "Go on, you two and have your dinner,"Jon said, his annoyance with his wife's interruption distinct in his voice. "Though don't be surprised if I call you in at a later date to clear up any matters I don't fully comprehend." His eyes did not hold their usual twinkle, nor did his lips coil into their usual smile. For now, he was a normal monarch, one who wasn't so friendly as the Jon they all knew and loved (most of the time).  
  
Grinning at his love, Numair motioned for her to follow him out of the king's study. She did so, and once in the hall, each burst out laughing. Neither seemed to know what the cause of this laughter was, but it was surely something, for each could not hold it in. Perhaps this was just ordinary behavior for new lovers. Neither Daine nor Numair would know, for neither had truly been in love before.  
  
"It didn't strike me until just now how very much Jon needs a woman like Thayet for his queen,"Numair pointed out, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.  
  
"Behind every successful man stands an even better woman who got him there," Daine said matter of factly. She put a hand on her hip and held her head high in a mocking fashion.  
  
"I beg to differ, Miss Sarrasri,"Numair said, following her game, "I courted no one when I received my black robe status at age seventeen."  
  
"That may be so, but the gods destined for me to come along,"Daine retorted, sliding an arm around his waste. Both seemed to forget about their secrecy, let their feelings leak out unintentionally. Just as Numair's face was little more than an inch from Daine's, the sound of foot steps could be heard nearby, bringing the too star struck lovers back to reality. They suddenly remembered their agreement, and mentally scolded themselves for almost getting carried away. In an instant, Numair had darted back to a respectable distance from Daine, and when the young clerk rounded the corner, nothing about them was questionable.  
  
"Good evening, Lady Daine," the clerk said as he walked by, stopping briefly to rest a hand on her shoulder. Daine recognized him immediately, but almost wished she hadn't. This young man was none other than Perin of Midwick, a palace clerk who had taken an interest in her. Before war had broke out and Daine still resided at the palace, she had spent weeks doing her best to avoid him, for he always seemed to be everywhere she went. To some, this may be flattering, but Daine had never had any interest in Perin, especially not when he tried to kiss her. He had even succeeded on more than on occasion.  
  
"And to you, Perin," Daine replied politely. No matter how much she disliked the fellow, she wouldn't be rude to him. After all, she had never actually told him she didn't appreciate his affections, therefore it wasn't entirely his fault.  
  
Daine felt Numair tense at her side, and she knew that he recognized Perin. "We should be heading off for dinner, Daine," Numair threw in before Perin had a chance to say anything. "Good day to you, Perin." With that, and a slight tug on Daine's arm, they were heading off down the palace halls in the direction of the Mess Hall.  
  
As soon as Daine and Numair reached the Mess Hall, they entered and went to gather their food. There was a short line to wait through, but that was soon done and over. Before long, they were filling their trays with the best food they'd had for quite a while. There was roast chick, spare ribs, garlic bread, steaming vegetable soup, ale, and a pastry for desert. As soon as they had gathered their food, Numair scanned the room with his eyes for a place to sit. Just as Numair was about to point out an empty table in one of the far corners where they could talk more privately, a voice called out Daine's name from across the room. Numair felt flustered by this as he turned to see who had called to his love.  
  
"Daine!" the page Nealan called out from across the Mess Hall. He pointed to a single seat next to his own, a place with no room for Numair. Daine turned to look at her love and saw the look of pure annoyance written on his face. She briefly put her hand on his harm and he looked down at her.  
  
"Go ahead," Numair said, though he did not sound at all sincere. Daine looked at him one last time apologetically before heading across the room to sit with Neal and some of the other pages. Numair's eyes lingered on her retreating form for a few moments before he made his way to that empty table he'd seen only moments earlier.  
  
As Numair sat alone, bored and jealous out of his mind, Daine went to sit with Neal. She knew very little about this page, but she thought he was a good sort. She wouldn't dare mention that to Numair though, who didn't seem to be to fond of Neal. She had a feeling it was slight jealousy, but there was nothing she could do about that. Numair would get over it, she knew.  
  
"So, what did the king need to see you about?"Neal asked as he bit into a roast chicken leg. Daine thought that to be an awfully personal question to ask someone you've only known for less than a day, but she would answer it all the same. This Neal was definitely not the shy person she thought he was. When he was around other pages, he was actually very talkative.  
  
"Oh, Jon just wanted reports on me and Numair's where abouts for the past two months," Daine said in response, her lack of grammar showing clearly.  
  
"You mean he didn't know?" Neal asked, curious about the king's standards with mages. "I don't know about mages, but the king requires constant knowledge of the position every knight in the realm!"  
  
"I'm sure he does," Daine replied, annoyed at Neal's jibe towards mages. "Normally he needs weekly reports from us, but the circumstances of these last few months were unavoidable."  
  
"Ah," Neal considered what she had said. He really did like this Daine, his emerald eyes twinkling. She was very attractive in her own way. She wasn't at all like most of the young women at court. Daine seemed to have her own standards, and Neal liked that.  
  
"How long have you been a page?"Daine asked Neal. It seemed all of Neal's page friends were busy with their own conversations, leaving only herself and Neal in her current one.  
  
"Almost one year,"Neal said proudly. He wanted desperately to impress this young woman.  
  
"Oh,"Daine said, finding herself actually enjoying talking with this page. Though she would rather be sitting with Numair, she was actually having fun without him. Numair. She suddenly wondered where he was. She turned around, letting her eyes scan the room for her lanky lover. She was completely ignoring whatever it was Neal was saying.  
  
"-and the reason I'm so much older than all the other pages is because I went into training to be a Healer for a while, but changed my mind," Neal continued rambling on, until he realized that Daine was paying no attention what so ever to him. He scowled at this, feeling slight defeat. She seemed to be looking for someone, but who? He wanted very much to find out. "Daine, are you looking for someone?" Neal asked. After his first try, Daine still did not hear him, so he repeated the question.  
  
Finally, after three times of Neal asking, Daine snapped back into reality. It was then that she realized how rude she'd been, and she turned back to Neal, blushing. "I'm sorry, Neal, were you saying something?"she asked, thoroughly embarrassed.  
  
Neal sighed, but was careful not to let Daine notice. "I asked if you were looking for someone," he repeated his question now for the fourth time, only to find that her attention had again gone back to scanning the room.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yes!" Daine exclaimed, mentally scolding herself for continually being rude to her new friend. She couldn't imagine what he must be thinking of her behavior. "I was just looking to see where Numair has gotten to. There seems to be room here with us now, so I thought I'd invite him over."  
  
"Master Salmalin?" Neal asked, shocked that that had been who she'd been looking for the entire time. He felt his heart burn with jealousy. He could deny it no longer. In just the short time, less than a day, that he'd know Daine, he was falling for her and falling fast. He knew he was at least attracted to her, and for him, that was enough. He now took Salmalin as a threat, for he remembered earlier how friendly Daine had been towards the man. When he had come along, she had completely forgotten Neal was even present!  
  
"Yes, that's his name," Daine replied, her mind not really in this conversation with Neal. It didn't take Neal himself long to realize this, and he couldn't help but start keeping score of the times he'd out done Numair for Daine's attention and vise versa.  
  
"So he's your teacher, is he?" Neal asked, trying to draw Daine's attention away from looking for Numair. He knew if the mage came over here, he would have to compete for Daine's attention and that was something he did not want to do. In just an evening's time, he had gone from being shy around this young woman, to admitting to himself that he fancied her and also being able to speak to her without a stutter. He though he was doing rather well so far, having carried out a full conversation with her through dinner. She had even laughed several times at something funny Neal said. This made his heart flutter with giddiness.  
  
  
  
"Yes, he is," Daine replied, still looking for her lanky lover. She still could not find him, and she did her best to pay attention to her dinner partner while still scan the Mess Hall for him.  
  
"For how long?" Neal was beginning to panic, for his questions were failing. It seemed with every second she was paying him less and less of her attentions.  
  
"Just over six years," Daine said casually. A smile suddenly spread across her face, making Neal think he'd struck gold. It wasn't until moments later that he realized the reason for her smile.  
  
"Numair, over here!" she called across the Mess Hall after noticing Numair sitting alone in one of the far corners. His head snapped up and he looked over in the direction of her voice. Smiling, he stood, tray in hand, and went to come sit with her. He made his way across the room, and over to the table where Daine and Neal sat alone. The young page's scowl in his direction did not go unnoticed by Numair. Still smiling, and taking a moment to glare in Neal's direction, Numair took the vacant seat next to Daine, briefly squeezing her hand under the table.  
  
"Good evening, Daine," Numair said, acting as if he hadn't seen her in quite a while. He was beginning to wonder if it would seem odd to their friends if they were noticed spending much more time together than usual. With luck, they could pass it off as merely lessons, but he also knew that their friends were also meddlers. Knowing Alanna, she would soon begin to suspect something and try to track it down. Numair knew it was only a matter of time before he and Daine were found out, but he would savor that time of secrecy, and handle the revelation when it came. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember your name?" Numair directed his question towards Neal. This earned a scowl from the young page.   
  
Neal smoothed back his locks of hair, his emerald eyes shining. "Nealan of Queenscove," He said, voice coming out sharp as a Shang blade. Daine noticed this immediately, but didn't let her knowledge show. She wondered if anything would come of this. If something did come, it was likely she wouldn't like it or welcome it. It was obvious Neal fancied her, and she couldn't help that. Knowing full well of Numair's over protectiveness and strong sense of jealousy, she could only wonder not of if something would come of this, but when it would come.  
  
"Ah, so you're Baird's son," Numair said, trying to sound half way interested, even though he couldn't care less. This dinner was boring him. He longed to return to his rooms and spend some time alone with Daine. Perhaps they could walk in the garden in the more secluded sections where they wouldn't be seen.  
  
Neal scowled, mentally pouting and burning with jealousy. It didn't pass by him, how close Daine sat to her teacher. He didn't miss the look in her eyes when she looked at that mage, or the returning look he would flash her. He wouldn't let this man get this one over on him. He would stop this conversation right now, before she could decide to go and do something with the mage.  
  
"Would you like to walk with me over to the stables, Daine?" Neal asked as sweetly and charmingly as he could. He let his eyes shine radiantly, a trick he'd learned a while ago when he wanted to impress a lady. "I need to take grain to my mount."  
  
Daine looked at Numair, biting her lip. She didn't want to go with Neal now, as the meal was coming to an end. She wanted to go off with Numair, where they could be in secret, but she knew it would be rude to turn him down. She stole a glance into her love's eyes, only to see that he was scowling. She tried to get his attention, so she could apologize without words, but found this to be impossible. She finally decided to play it into their conversation. "Numair, is it alright if we skip the lesson tonight?" she asked, letting her eyes tell him how she really felt. When his dark eyes made contact with her own, she knew that he understood what she meant and he nodded, his manner giving away his disappointment.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that, Daine," Numair said, voice full of resentment. "We can discuss it in the morning." Without bothering to say more, or even good bye for that matter, Numair rose from where he sat, dropping Daine's hand as he did. He immediately stalked away, once he had risen. He didn't look back even once, at least not that Daine could see. She felt hurt by this, and made a mental not to be certain to stop by his rooms before retiring later. It would do them no good to wait until morning to hash this out.  
  
"Do you know the way to the page's stables?" Neal asked, rising from where he sat and removing his napkin from his lap and placing it on his tray. Daine looked at him crossly, though she didn't mean to. She swallowed her emotions and forced a smile.  
  
"I visit them all the time, so its only natural that I do,"Again, Daine's voice was more harsh than she meant, and she hoped she wasn't hurting Neal's feelings, no matter how vexed with him she was. She knew she didn't have much of a right to be vexed with him, for it wasn't his fault Numair was jealous. To Neal and every other young man at the palace, Daine was fair game, since she and Numair were keeping their relationship a secret. She just hoped this wouldn't go farther than need be. She didn't want her relationship with Numair to be thrown into jeopardy by any means.  
  
"Ah, well then lets go,"Neal said, leading the way to the Mess Hall exit. Daine followed him out of the Mess Hall and down the hallway. They passed many door ways and corridors until they reached a door that led to the palace grounds. Daine rarely went through these parts of the palace; she never had any business in them. She lived on the other side, as did Numair, and there were many other ways to reach the page's stables, so she never came this way.  
  
Once out in the cool night breeze, Daine followed Neal across the palace grounds and to the stables. She'd been here many times, so she was familiar with several of the horses kept here. Many times the king had summoned her to heal one of the page's mounts and she had come every time.  
  
(A/N: I have no clue what Neal's horse looks like or what its name is or even its gender, and I don't really care, so I'm inventing a horse for him....)  
  
Daine followed Neal into the stables and down each row. They passed by many horses that Daine could remember healing at some time or another, before they stopped at the stall Neal had in mind. In it stood a tall mount, though not tall enough to be a war horse. It must be only for Neal's training, for it did not look fit to take into battle. Despite this minor detail, it was a fine mount, a beautiful one at that. It was a brilliant sorrel mare, most likely no more than ten years of age. It looked as if it had seen many pages, even in its middle age. Its coat was completely solid with the exception of a thin blaze running down its nose.  
  
Reaching out a gentle hand, Daine softly scratched the horse's nose. The horse snorted in reply, breathing softly against Daine's outstretched hand. Daine stole a side long glance to find that Neal was watching her with interest. She wished he would just get on with what he came here to do, so she could be on her way. "Her name's Dreamcatcher," Neal said, reaching up and stroking the mare's ears. Daine watched as the horse stretched its head out farther to bump Neal's chest affectionately.  
  
-Hello, Dreamcatcher- Daine said through mind speech to the mare. Daine heard her stomping her foot against the stall door.  
  
- And to you, two legger who is People- Dreamcatcher replied neighing in greeting. Daine couldn't remember ever seeing this horse, which was surprising because she'd lived at the palace for quite a while, just as the mare most likely had. She must have just over looked her.  
  
-I don't think I've ever seen you before, but you sure are a beauty- Daine complimented Dreamcatcher. The mare puffed her chest out proudly, making Daine laugh.  
  
-Nor have I seen you, two legger, but its common knowledge among the People that you're the Wild Mage- was Dreamcatcher's hearty reply.  
  
"Daine, are you talking to her?" Neal asked curiously. Daine broke her mind away from her conversation with Dreamcatcher, and turned to face Neal. He looked directly into her face, which had suddenly gotten so close to his just now, and blushed. Daine felt a pang of guilt that she was leading Neal on, but she let it pass. There was nothing she could do about it. He would know someday, likely in the near future, that her heart already belonged to someone. Besides, it wasn't as if she herself had made any advances to Neal.  
  
"Yes," Daine replied, wishing the awkwardness would pass.  
  
"Do you think you could ask her something for me?" Neal asked, eyes thoughtful. He loved Dreamcatcher, but the mare had been giving him trouble for quite some time now. Perhaps Daine could help solve the problem.  
  
"Sure," Daine replied, happy to help her new friend and his mount. "What did you need me to ask?"  
  
"Well, I love Dreamcatcher, and I'd love for her to be my mount for the time being, but I have the hardest time simply mounting her. She's fine when I'm saddling her, and when I lead her out of the stable, but its when I get her into the yard that she starts misbehaving. Every time I try to mount, she moves out of the way and i fall. It normally took two of the other pages holding her down for me to even get on her at all," Neal said, all the while Daine listening intently. She was no longer feeling awkward, for now she was doing what she did best. It was business now, between herself and Neal.  
  
"Hm, I'll see what I can do," Daine said, letting her mind enter that of Dreamcatcher's. In doing this, she would be able to find any sort of unhappiness the horse might feel, and that could be the explanation for her behavior. It could also be a result of some form of mishandling in her past.  
  
-Dreamcatcher, Neal tells me you don't like for him to try and mount you. Why is this?- Daine asked the mare through mind speech after finding no sense of unhappiness in the horse's mind and thoughts.  
  
-This is true- the mare replied tartly, purposefully dodging having to answer Daine's question. Daine immediately recognized Dreamcatcher's game, and decided to play along.  
  
-Has Neal mishandled you before?- Daine asked, hoping her new friend hadn't ever done such a thing.  
  
-The two legger is just fine. He's always given me fair treatment- Again, Dreamcatcher did not completely answer Daine's question. At least now Daine could eliminate Neal from her suspicions.  
  
-If not that, then why?- Daine asked, now extremely curious.  
  
-Can't a horse have a sense of humor? You've no idea how entertaining it is to see that two legger fall onto his rump. The other two leggers laugh at him, making it even better- Dreamcatcher replied, her feelings of fun and excitement flooding Daine's mind. A small smile played at Daine's lips. This mare was truly one of a kind. Daine couldn't recall having ever met a horse with a personality to match this one. She was pert, but not so bad as Cloud. She was also gentle, but not so gentle as Numair's gelding, Spots.  
  
"What did she say?" Neal asked curiously when he say Daine smiling. Daine turned to look at him, and her grin broadened.  
  
"Well, she says she does it because she thinks its funny," Daine said, trying her very best not to burst into fits of laughter. The look on Neal's face was worth ever silver noble in the king's treasury. It was indescribable at first, but it soon turned into a grin to match Daine's. Suddenly, Neal burst out laughing.  
  
"As funny as that struck me, could you please tell Dreamcatcher not to do that anymore? Its gotten me extra duties several times already," Neal said, still trying to control his laughter at his horse's reasoning.   
  
  
  
"She says she'll stop, but only because you asked nicely," Daine said with a grin. She knew from instinct that it was getting late. If she wanted to catch Numair before he was already asleep, she'd better get going. "Now that we've done what we came for, I'd best be going."   
  
Neal's look of disappointment was immediate after she voiced these words. "Shall I walk you back to your rooms?" Neal offered, hoping to get in a little more time with her. Daine, knowing she wasn't going back to her rooms right away, decided to decline his offer, despite the fact that that would be rude.  
  
"That's all right, I think I can make it by myself," Daine said, feeling a tad bit guilty when she saw Neal's disappointment filled eyes. There was an awkward silence in which neither spoke. Both were deep in thought, very deep. Daine's mind was on Numair and wondering if he was upset with her. She was thinking of how she could make this up to him. Neal on the other hand's thoughts circled around Daine at the present. He thought of her beauty, of her natural curves, smoky brown curls and stunning blue gray eyes. "Well, I'll just be going then." Daine said finally. She had no interest in staying any longer. It wasn't as if she had wanted to come with Neal in the first place.  
  
"All right then, good night, Daine," Neal said, eyes intent on staring at the floor. He didn't move at all except to stroke Dreamcatcher as Daine walked away and left for Numair's rooms.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
(A/N: I was gonna stop right here, but I guess I owe you guys some fluffies since I took so long to post....)  
  
Before long, Daine found herself standing in a familiar place, right outside the door to Numair's private rooms. Being his student, she'd been here before, waiting for her next lesson. This time she was not here for a lesson. She was here to make sure he wasn't upset with her, and if he was, she'd make it right. Things were just so different now. It seemed that nothing, even the most familiar and simple thing like standing outside her teacher's door was different. Love changes everything, she decided.  
  
Reaching out a hand, she lightly tapped on his door. She mad sure she was quiet, for she had no wish to disturb anyone in the nearby rooms that was sleeping. It would be more than a little awkward to be found outside Numair's rooms at such an hour. Just as it had before, gossip would fly. Daine knew what gossip could do to a relationship, and she didn't find the results to her liking.  
  
There was a scuffling of foot steps from inside, followed by a faint cry of pain as Numair tripped on his way to answer the door. Daine couldn't help but smile at this, picturing her lanky friend falling to the floor from clumsiness as she had seen him do many times. He normally had a cat like grace considering his awkward size, but many times his size was a hindrance and he would lose balance and fall.  
  
Daine snapped her attention to the door as it opened a crack. Numair poked his head out, and in seeing her, opened it all the way. "I didn't expect you to be through with that page so soon," Numair said coldly, but his tone was not directed at her, Daine knew.   
  
She sighed, knowing that Numair had wanted to spend time with her his evening, but hadn't gotten to. "Can I come in?" Daine asked, voice soft.   
  
"Of course," His tone was completely different now, void of any cold nature. He moved out of the door way to hold the door open as she stepped inside. There was a fire blazing in the fire place, heating the room generously. Daine had expected to see the room to his study open from him having been busy in it upon her knocking, but it wasn't. It was shut tight, probably locked. It looked as though he hadn't been in it at all that night. This made Daine feel even more guilty, for she knew it took a great deal of emotion scrambling on his part for him to ignore his experiments.   
  
Numair reached out a hand and motioned for her to have a seat on the couch. She took his signal, and did so. He sat next to her, closer than he ever had when she'd come to his rooms all those times for lessons. Her eyes held a look of guilt, and Numair knew he'd caused it. He sighed, frustrated with himself for making her feel bad. He hadn't been upset with her at all, just jealous. Jealousy was one of his major faults, something he couldn't control.  
  
"Numair-" Daine spoke up finally, knowing what she had to tell him.  
  
"No, Daine, you don't have to say it-" Numair interrupted suddenly, much to Daine's surprise. "I was being a jealous fool, and I'm sorry."  
  
"Are you upset with me for not spending time with you tonight?" Daine asked, taking her turn to interrupt Numair as he had done to her. She ignored his jibe at himself, even though she knew it was partially true. He smiled on the inside when he noticed this was what she had done.  
  
"Of course not, sweet," Numair said quickly, hoping to douse any worries that she might have. He reached across the small space that separated them and drew her into his arms. She accepted his antics willingly, sighing in what he assumed to be relief. He found it a bit humorous that she had thought he was angry with her. His guilt seemed to have been washed away. "I had just wanted to spend time with you, that's all."  
  
"Well, that's good to hear, but still, I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time together since we arrived home," Daine said, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Numair saw this and smiled slyly, wrapping his arms tightly around her torso.  
  
"Ah, well, we've still time before the day is out, do we not?" His voice was as mischievous as that of his lover's. It sent chills down her spine and made her oddly excited.  
  
"We've not much of it left," Daine said teasing him, pretending not to know what he meant.  
  
Ignoring her mock ignorance, Numair said, "Well then we'd best not waste any time, sweetling." His voice was teasing her, daring her to continue with her game.  
  
Daine forced a yawn, looking at him with squinted eyes as she did so. "I'm fair certain I'm getting too tired to stay awake, master mage. I believe I shall go skip off to my rooms and sleep."  
  
"Oh no you don't! I shant let you get off so easily!" Numair said suddenly, gripping her arms with his own to prevent her from rising. She had barely enough time to flash a quick smile before he'd captured her lips with his own, fast as lightning. She fell backwards and flat onto her back at the sudden impact. Resting her head on the are of the couch, She closed her eyes and leaned back to better accommodate him. In the brief moments that she bothered to open them, she would catch a mischievous glint in his eyes that made her feel as giddy as ever. Now, as she took everything in, he lay on top of her, kissing her for all he was worth. She moaned into his mouth, kissing him back. This was what she'd longed for all day.  
  
Daine managed, with some difficulty to pull her arms out from under Numair's body, and snake them up and around his neck. She managed this without breaking their kiss, much to her own amazement. Numair was intent on keep contact with her, and didn't act as if he planned to let up any time soon. Daine had no objections to this, in fact, she quite enjoyed it. She playfully ran her fingers through his bone straight black hair that was currently tied back in a horse tail. He moaned into their kiss when he felt her begin to run her fingers down his back. They broke the kiss briefly for air, and then came back with just as much passion and desire as before. It was as if neither could get enough of the other. It was a feeling that Daine only got from Numair, and Numair alone. She shifted beneath him, letting herself get more comfortable.  
  
He pulled away again to draw in air. Daine too fought to breathe. She looked into his eyes and smiled. He returned the favor with a grin to match hers. For the umpteenth time that day, she gazed merrily at the site of him. She'd always thought him handsome, but it was times like these in which her feelings of his appearance multiplied.  
  
Again he leaned down to kiss her, but this time his lips landed on the side of her neck. He repeatedly let his lips caress the soft skin of her neck, raining tiny kisses all over. As she moved closer, her face buried in his hair, he could feel her thick lashes blink against the side of his head. He let his trembling hands slide up the back of her shirt, untucking it in the back. He let his fingers run up and down the bare skin of her back.  
  
Numair felt his desire begin to rise up to terribly high levels within him. His body began trembling uncontrollably, until he finally broke the kiss. He closed his eyes, taking in air and trying to calm himself. He tried to wash away the wild thoughts that were floating through his mind, but he found this to be extremely hard. He felt Daine's hand move from his back to his arm, and come to rest on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, afraid of the longing he knew he would find in hers.   
  
As soon as his eyes were opened, they locked with her own. Her blue gray eyes were dark now, filled with a burning passion and an intense longing. As much as Numair wanted to, he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. He wanted very badly to turn away, for her look of pure longing for him to fall into the passion made it even harder for him not to. He couldn't do that to her, not yet. He loved her to much to do such a thing. No matter how much he knew what was right, he couldn't stop natural feelings from coming.  
  
"Is-is something wrong?" Daine's voice was shaky with an odd emotion. Her eyes told all, however. They told Numair that she knew very well what had stopped him. He knew now more than ever that he should not have let things go so far. The passion had swamped them both, making it difficult to think rationally.  
  
Refusing to look her in the eye, Numair said, "Daine, I-" he began, fighting for just the right words. They had had this same thing happen before, and little more than a day ago at that. This time was much worse though, for he had been less able to stop. "I can't."  
  
"Numair, I know you want this," Daine said in response, her voice shaking every bit as much as before. The longing in her eyes did not fade at all. When she had came to his rooms this night, she'd had no idea that it would result in this. "I can see it in your eyes."  
  
"I do, I do want this, but I can't. It wouldn't be right," Numair choked out these words. Now, he had turned to face her, for he could look away no longer.  
  
"Then why?" Daine's question was simple, and he knew the answer, but putting it into words would be difficult, especially when he could see such emotion in her eyes. "I want it too, you know." Did she really? She thought she did, now as she was being consumed by her passionate thoughts, but was it really what she wanted? Perhaps she needed time to think, to think rationally. She didn't even consider this just now though, for she was much to caught up in the moment.  
  
Numair thought for a moment, eyes never breaking away from Daine's, no matter how much it pained him. "I love you," He said simply. It was so simple. That was the answer, and it was the best he could give her. "Its because I love you."  
  
Daine looked at him for a moment, letting his words sink in. She thought about it for a moment, thinking hard on his words. 'Because I love you', what kind of answer was that? Did it make sense? Nothing made sense to Daine when she was in this state of mind. She had to come back to her right train of thoughts. It was then that she fully understood. It all made sense, brilliant sense. If he hadn't loved her, he wouldn't have stopped. He cared enough about her, to let them wait. "I love you too, and I understand now," It was almost as if she hadn't fully understood love until just this very moment. No matter how many times he had ever expressed his love to her, it had never been so meaningful as it was now. "Thank you, Numair." She knew it was just as much, of not more of a struggle for him to hold back as it was for her.   
  
Numair was stunned to say the least. He hadn't expected this at all. Before, when they had been in this same situation, she had gotten fair vexed with him. It looked as if only now did she truly understand his antics. He thanked the gods. Now she knew. She knew how much he loved her, and she understood. There was still the same longing as before. If anything it was stronger, but this time, they both had a greater understanding.  
  
"Daine, as much as I want you to stay with me, you should go," Numair said, his voice raspy and filled with disappointment. Daine knew that his tone was a result of the passion they had shared moments ago. It made her feel a strong sense of giddiness. A small smile played at his lips, she saw, and she knew it was a true one. She smiled back at him, letting him know that everything was okay. They wouldn't have this misunderstanding again. "If I'm not mistaken, the last time you were in my rooms this late, we faced some nasty gossip in the morning."  
  
"Yes, you're right," Daine said distantly. She was still deep in thought, wondering what had possessed her to let herself fall as far into passion as she had. It was love, plain and simple. That was all it could be. "And Numair, I'm sorry. I let us both get carried away, and I know it affects you as much as it does me."  
  
"Don't worry, sweet," was his simple, yet relieving response. "I'll see you in the morning." Numair leaned closer to her, and swiftly, yet gently kissed her lips. He let his lips linger for a moment. He suddenly removed his mouth, almost as quickly as he had brought it, leaving them both in longing for more. Daine knew she'd best leave now.  
  
"Good night, love," she said before rising and going to the door. She opened it and left the room, closing the door behind her. She didn't question why Numair hadn't come to see her to the door. Without looking, she knew he still sat where she had left him, and he might stay that way for the rest of the night.  
  
Silently, she made her way back to her rooms. Earlier in the day, she'd received word from Tkaa that Kit would be waiting for her back at her rooms. She felt guilty for not coming to see her charge sooner. Kitten would trill and whistle and scold Daine for leaving her alone for so long. It had been a full three months at least since Daine had laid eyes on the dragonet. 


	11. Jon vs Jarlath and Numair vs Neal

A/N: Ok, there will be some plot formation in this chapter....I know most of you will want more fluff, and you'll get it, but we all know that I had to go through with the plot some time.....  
  
I'd like to take this time to announce my next project. I'll be starting it after I finish Gallan Return, and basically its just an alternate ending to this fic. Even though this one ends happy, there are other ways I could end it, so I plan to try one of them. I think you guys will like it, especially if y aren't pleased with what I've done to Numair in this fic....*hint*hint*  
  
UNFORTUNATE ANNOUNCEMENT: I regret to inform you all that there is going to be a large portion of Jon's POV in this chapter. Now you know if I could have prevented this, I would have, but I couldn't. This chapter is important, so please read it even if you hate Jon as much as I do....I promise to throw in some nice Jon bashing...hehe...  
  
Disclaimer: Ah yes, I'd best leave one of these....You know the drill, don't sue me, cuz I don't own anything....  
  
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King Jonathan III of Conte sat in his study, frustrated as ever. What with the Immortals War just ending, he had more than enough on his plate just now. In fact, now that he thought about it, he had too much. He had the most splitting head ache right now, and he was no where near done with the night's work. He still had over fifty battle reports to read over, not to mention the foreign mail. The Immortals War had affected o countries besides just Tortall. Galla, Carthak, Scanra, and even the Copper Isles had been affected. Though out of these countries Tortall was only allied with Carthak, it wasn't uncommon for Jon to receive news from the others.  
  
There was one country though, that Jon knew very little about. That country, was Galla. Yes, Jon's knowledge of Galla stretched only to its customs and religions. He hadn't gotten any news or reports from that country for years. It had been this way since King Jarlath took the Gallan throne just over fifteen years ago. His father, the former King B of Jerkins, Galla, had always sent reports to Tortall and all other surrounding countries. Tortall always had a special relationship to Galla in those days, and this was because Jon's father and mother had been close friends with the Gallan king and queen. Jon couldn't count the times he remembered watching the Gallan delegation of royals as they entered Corus to vacation at the palace.  
  
Every time they would come, Berthold would bring his wife and queen, Maudisa. She was a fairly nice woman, nothing corrupt about her that Jon could ever see. He knew corrupt when he saw it, for he had already experienced delegations from the Copper country Isles, who's royalty was known for madness. Maudisa, Jon could always remember for her friendly nature and beautiful features. When Berthold's parents had sought a bride for him, they found the perfect match in Maudisa. No woman could ever suit the jolly king of Galla any better than that woman, Jon decided.  
  
Along with Berthold and Maudisa, their son, the young Prince Jarlath of Galla would always come. Jarlath was about five years older than Jonathan himself, so naturally the parents of each prince had always expected them to stay in each other's company when the royal families were together. For the most part, Jon never minded entertaining foreign royals, especially ones his own age, but with Jarlath, it was different. Jon knew from experience that Jarlath wasn't the easiest person to get along with, especially when he was supposed to be the guest.  
  
Jon's mind drifted back in time to one of these memories. He had been only ten years old then and just about to start his training as a page. The Gallan Delegation had just arrived the previous afternoon, and now it was time to begin entertaining them during their stay. Jon was on his was now to the suit that had been assigned to Jarlath. He walked slowly, stomping and hanging his head as he went. His arms were crossed in a pout and his lips set. No matter how much he had argued with his parents about making him entertain Jarlath, they had still ordered him to do it. He was now reluctantly obeying their orders.  
  
As Jon drug himself through the palace halls and to Jarlath's room, he would gaze out the windows as he walked. It was a wondrously beautiful day out. It seemed as if the palace grounds were calling to him, begging him to go tramping across them, having adventures as he went. He ached to follow his ten year old heart and go have fun, but that would displease his parents. The last time he had disobeyed them, they had taken away his new Calvary saddle and set of war tack for his horse, Sprite. He most certainly did not want that happening this time on account of Jarlath.  
  
Once Jon reached the room he had been reluctantly looking for, he stopped before it and knocked lightly. He heard a scuffling of feet, and then the door was swung open to reveal a handsome boy of about fifteen. Prince Jarlath was tall for his age, almost six feet in height. His head supported a large mass of deep brown curls, so dark that they were almost black. He had his hair pulled back in a small horse tail, one that barely reached his ears. His handsome face was coiled into a scowl, his forest green eyes flashing dangerously. He held such a grim and angry look most of the time, so Jon wasn't alarmed by it at all.  
  
"Prince Jarlath, would you care to join me in a tour of the palace?" he asked politely, just as he mother had instructed him. He could still hear her warning him to be nice and most definitely polite. Despite his mother's orders, Jon couldn't resist rolling his eyes rudely as he spoke his offer to the Gallan prince.  
  
"No, I wouldn't!" He snapped rudely, roughly cuffing Jon's ear with the back of his hand. "But that doesn't mean I won't!" The prince added hastily, seeing his chance to cause Jon further torture. Jon scowled at this, his face showing utmost hate for the older boy.  
  
Sighing, Jon said, "What would you like to see first?"  
  
Jarlath stuck his nose up at Jon and acted as if the Tortallan heir had grown an extra limb. "That's a fair hard decision to make, seeing as Tortall has nothing of interest. I've toured better pig sties in Galla than anything I've seen in Tortall," Jarlath made his jibe as if it had been nothing but a mere statement. Jon felt his blood boiling. He felt an indescribable urge to punch the Gallan prince, but decided against it.  
  
-If you're so fond of pig sties, why don't you live in one?- Jon thought to himself, not daring to say it aloud. It wouldn't be wise to insult the prince, for he would just tattle on Jon to his parents, not to mention that Jarlath was much larger and better built than Jon. This would make things very difficult for Jon if Jarlath felt the urge to cause him great pain. "Perhaps you'd enjoy visiting the Page's Wing?" Jon asked, his teeth clenched.  
  
"I suppose that would do," Jarlath said, acting as if he were too good to ever go to such a place.   
  
The two boys treaded down the halls and corridors, for what seemed like ages to Jon. They finally reached the start of the Page's Wing. There were class rooms of all sorts lining the wall as they passed. Soon, class rooms faded into private chambers for each page. Jon gazed longingly at the door to the room of his best friend, Raoul of Goldenlake, as they passed it. He wished his friend were with him now. Together, they could handle Jarlath and teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.  
  
Suddenly, Jarlath spoke up with a random question meant to annoy Jon. "Jon. What kind of a name is that? I mean honestly, you're the third idiot in the Conte line to have it," Jarlath said idly, acting as if he had no idea what he was doing. "Besides, it obviously rhymes with moron." Jarlath grinned evilly at Jon, entertained by the prince's paling face.  
  
"I'd advise you to keep your opinion to yourself in the future," Jon muttered angrily, just as he pounced towards Jarlath. His intent was to cause the Gallan prince as much pain as he possibly could. He didn't even bother to think that the prince was much older and stronger than he. It didn't even cross his mind that Jarlath had just recently become a squire, while Jon himself had only just started training as a page.  
  
  
  
Jarlath stepped out of Jon's way effortlessly, causing Jon to slam not into Jarlath, but into the end table that leaned against the wall for decoration. The table snapped under his weight, and the beautiful hand crafted vase that sat on it came crashing to the ground, breaking into a million pieces.  
  
Before Jon had time to fully register what he'd done or how much trouble he would surely be in, Jarlath had reached out a hand and gripped Jon's shirt collar roughly. He pulled Jon to his feet, and slammed him hard against the wall where the table used to stand. His eyes flashed even more dangerously than usual, this time with brown tints. It was then that Jon knew he was in for it. The Gallan prince moved his face closer to Jon until only the length of a piece of parchment separate them.  
  
"Never, never try to cross me, Moron of Conte," Jarlath whispered, voice harsh and filled with rage. Jon gulped with fear, preparing himself for a beating he knew he would get. Instead of doing what Jon expected, Jarlath roughly through Jon to the ground and into the pile of broken glass and wood. Pain seared through his body in the places the splinters and glass cut him, but he ignored it for he knew Jarlath was watching him. He looked his enemy directly in the eye, not knowing what else to do. He shook with fear, not knowing what Jarlath was going to do.  
  
Jon's eye contact with Jarlath seemed only to have served as a silent challenge, making Jarlath all the more angry. Clenching his fists, Jarlath kicked Jon in the ribs as hard as he could. Jon cried out in pain, but took it nonetheless. He longed to run and tell his friends what had happened, tell anyone what had happened. He knew he couldn't do this though. If he told his parent, they would surely tell him to ignore it because Jarlath was a guest. If he told his friends, then his parents would find out and punish him. Either way, he lost. Besides, he didn't want to be a baby who ran to his mother for every cut and bruise.   
  
He took the pain silently and went through the rest of the day with Jarlath as if nothing had happened. Later, after the Gallans had returned to Galla the following week, Jon's parents took away a good number of his privileges as punishment for the vase and table.  
  
Jon scolded himself as his mind snapped back from his day dreams. He'd gotten off track for the fifth time that night! It seemed that when it came to working in the late hours of the night, Jon couldn't concentrate. He wanted to go to bed and sleep soundly, rather than work all night in his work room.  
  
"Its that gods cursed war that caused me all this work!" Jon mumbled to himself as he began shuffling through the sea of papers on his desk. The piles of papers, scrolls, maps, and letters seemed never ending, making Jonathan's head ache. When he'd come into his study after his evening meal, he'd promised himself he'd have his desk cleared before he went to bed so that he'd be ready for the next load of work that was sure to hit his desk the next morning. Now, this task seemed near impossible.  
  
Jon stopped his shuffling as soon as his hand landed on a curious piece of parchment. It was folded and sealed, indicating that it was from some royal; whether it was a foreign royal or one of Tortall's own, Jon had yet to find out. He knew immediately when he saw the forest green wax that it wasn't anything from Tortall. Anything from a Tortallan noble was always sealed with red wax, for it was Tortallan custom.   
  
Jonathan turned the parchment over in his hands so he could properly see the imprint on the seal. He had to hold it up to the light to make it out, for it was faint, having been sealed in a great hurry. Jonathan immediately recognized it as the Gallan seal. But how could it be? Jon never received anything from Galla. At least, that had been the way it was for just over fifteen years. -This must be extremely important- Jon thought to himself. He knew very well that Jarlath wasn't fond of him, and was unlikely to call upon him unless it was absolutely necessary.  
  
With shaking hands, Jonathan broke the seal to the Gallan letter and unfolded it. He scanned the page with his eyes, not at all prepared for what he saw:  
  
To My Royal Cousin King Jonathan III Of Conte:  
  
Jonathan, I hope to find you and your royal family of Tortall well. It has been so long since we have acknowledged one another. I fear it has gotten to be far too long, so I have decided to breach that gap. The war has affected my kingdom greatly as I'm sure it has yours. Many of my best mages were killed in battle defending Galla. I've heard much about your own losses, and allow me to give you my condolences.  
  
I ask that you please forgive me for what I am about to relay to you, for it is not of a pleasant nature. I regret to inform you, that I have discovered the presence of one of my own Gallan citizens in your fine country. I have learned that her name is Veralidaine Sarrasri. I have spoken with the head of her town of Snowsdale, and it seems that she fled to Tortall illegally. I am not suggesting that you have been holding her there, or that this is your fault in any way. I am merely asking, that you send her back, as she is my subject. It is my wish that you understand this, and that you respond to me as soon as your other duties allow.  
  
In Hopes Of Support,  
  
King Jarlath of Jerkins, Galla   
  
As soon as he had read the letter from Galla, Jon was stunned to say the least. How could it be that he hadn't had any connection with the king of Galla for years, and now all of the sudden he received a letter just when Jarlath wanted something? This was Jarlath's way, Jonathan knew. He was only friendly to a person, if that person could be of use to him. Anyone and everyone was a pawn to Jarlath, this Jonathan had seen first hand many times. He'd heard from Kaddar about the king of Galla's persistent attempts for a marriage alliance between royals. According to Kaddar, Jarlath had given Carthak the cold shoulder, offering them no help at all until he learned that they would make a useful marriage alliance for his son.  
  
Why did it have to be Daine, though? What did Jarlath want with a country girl that had fled from his country because her own village betrayed her? Ah, but Daine wasn't just a country girl, he reminded himself. Daine was a beautiful young woman, who had saved his life and the lives of his family and kingdom countless times. She was full to the brim with a rare form of magic, not to mention she was as sharp as they come. No, the question had shifted to 'What didn't Jarlath want with her?' Veralidaine Sarrasri would be of excellent use to any country or realm, and Jonathan knew very well that Tortall was envied for having her.  
  
"By the great gods, she's my friend! I refuse to let them have her!" Jon exclaimed, wildly slamming his fist against the top of his desk. He hated Jarlath, and it would burn him to see Daine have to go to him, no matter what reason the king of Galla had for wanting her back. It wasn't as if Galla could enforce any threats they might make if Jon were to refuse their demands. Galla was known for its poor military. Few countries, even in time of war, would bother asking for help from Galla. For that matter, no country would even bother declaring war on the gods forsaken place. In many ways this made Galla the best country there was, but Jon still wouldn't want to rule it. Back in the days when Berthold ruled Galla, the country had prospered nicely, for it had the gods favor. Ever since Jarlath took the thrown, things had slowly decreased. Galla no longer held the gods favor. Jon was certain that if Carthak hadn't been occupying the gods' attention so much for the past few years, then Galla would surely have been the host of the god's wrath. Jon doubted Galla would do any better under Aidan's rule. Little did Jon know how wrong he was about Galla's fighting potential.  
  
Without wasting his thoughts a second longer on Jarlath's poor reign, Jon pulled a blank piece of parchment from his top right desk drawer and began fumbling through his mess of papers for an ink bottle and quill. Once he'd found these things, he took out his wrath on the parchment, letting his quill be his weapon. His father had always told him that a good king knew that his quill and the proper words could be the best weapon available, even in the time of war. Many times in his life, Jon had learned the value of his father's words. He put them to use now.  
  
To My Royal Cousin King Jarlath of Jerkins, Galla:  
  
Jarlath, this in response to your letter. Indeed it has been too long since we have last spoken. I am pleased to inform you that Tortall is doing well, even after the war. As you have said, we received many losses, and each shall be remembered for their bravery in the heat of battle.  
  
Now, to the main topic of discussion which prompted me to write you. I received a demand from you in your previous letter stating you would like to have my Wild Mage, Veralidaine Sarrasri returned to Gallan soil. I regret to say that I must refuse this demand, for several reasons. These reasons are nothing you need concern yourself with, so I shant include them. Further more, I ask that you do not decided to declare war on Tortall. It would indeed be a great loss for your country if you should bother doing so.  
  
In Hopes You Make The Right Decision,  
  
King Jonathan of Conte III  
  
Jon smiled with satisfaction as he set his quill down, letter finished. For once, he had the upper hand with Jarlath, and the feeling was refreshing. He knew well that he had responded rudely to the foreign king, but what did that matter? There was little Jarlath could do about it. If Galla and Tortall went to war, it would be over extremely fast for Tortall had one of the top ranking armies of the northern lands. The could never be defeated, or even dented by Galla.  
  
-Should I tell Daine?- Jon thought to himself, his mind thoughtful. It was a very good question indeed. He knew it would likely trouble the young woman greatly. He knew she feared her old home. Numair had told him many times that he saw her thrash and kick in her bed roll when they were on missions for the king. It was obvious she had nightmares of the place. If it was bad enough to haunt her in her sleep, then the mere idea of returning would surely horrify her. No, he wouldn't tell her. He had no need to, for surely nothing would come of it. "Yes, no need to worry her," Jon said with a yawn, stretching out his arms and letting his back pop.   
  
He sighed unhappily when he saw how little work he'd completed. Out of the large pile of work he'd laid out for himself for that night, he'd only completed his response to Jarlath's letter. This disappointed him greatly, for it meant he had wasted his night day dreaming and seeking to torture and old 'friend'. "The things I get myself into," Jon said with a deep sigh. He would worry himself to pieces over the littlest things. That was a habit he'd have to break one of these days.  
  
He snapped his head around to look behind him as he heard the sound of the door creaking open. In the doorway stood his queen, Thayet. She was clad in her pink silk night gown he'd had imported for her from the Yamani Isles last year for a birthday present. Despite his frustration and lack of sleep, he smiled at the sight of her. To him, she'd always been the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his entire life.  
  
"Jon, come to bed," Thayet said quietly, voice pleading with him along with her eyes. "Its getting late."  
  
The look she held on her face was one he'd never been able to refuse. "I'm coming, Thayet," he said, voice enchanted by her, "All this work can wait until morning." Jon got up and crossed the room to join his wife. He took her in his arms and led her silently out of the study. Both the king and queen of Tortall held smiles on their faces. Since the war, neither had spent much time together. Thayet had longed for such an occasion for weeks afterwards, but he'd always been too busy, tired, or temperamental. He would never know just how much the words 'all this work can wait until morning' meant to her.  
  
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Nealan of Queenscove paced his room, deep in thought. Though his thoughts were extremely complex and intricate, they only revolved around one thing. That thing, was Veralidaine Sarrasri. He had fallen for her, of that much he was sure. He didn't know how it was possible for him to be so sure of something so soon, but he was. All of his page friends had always laughed at him and told him he could fall in love with a girl as faster than he could blink, but he'd never thought much of it. It was one thing for his friends to say such a thing, but quite another for him to finally realize there was some truth to it.  
  
"Well, Neal? What are you going to do about it?" Neal began talking to himself as he paced. He had to do something. He couldn't think straight if he didn't. He would always remember it, if he let his only chance slip between his fingers. Daine was a beautiful young woman, in Neal's eyes the most beautiful one at court. It was likely that she had a good many admirers. If he didn't make a move for her, then surely someone else would first. That meant he had to get his wits about him, and fast. He didn't want to let this fish get away.  
  
It was then that he remembered a very important piece of information he had over heard. There was going to be a minor ball coming up nearing the end of next week. Since it wasn't a very important one, not to mention all that fancy, Jon had announced to all of the pages and squires that they could attend it as guests and not servers. This had thrilled him when he'd heard it. His first thought had been to find someone to escort. Now, Daine was his obvious first choice, but there was still the matter of getting her to go with him. The only way to do that, was to ask, but did he have the courage to do that? Of course he did! He was, after all, Nealan of Queenscove! He was afraid of no lady! Or was he? Yes, perhaps he was after all. This was most definitely a first for Neal.  
  
Sighing, Neal threw himself backwards and onto his hard bed. As he lay there, he swung his legs over the side and up onto the bed. Continuing to think about his options, Neal let out another sigh. If he wanted Daine to court him, he had to ask her. That sounded so simple, yet in this moment it seemed a greater challenge than earning his shield.  
  
Suddenly, a spark of courage formed inside Neal's mind, and he knew what he had to do, whether he wanted to do it or not. He had to ask her if he ever wanted anything more to come of his relationship with her. He did not want to be just friends with her, he wanted to court her, for her to be his lover. The thought of her rejecting him seemed not to matter right now, for he was fueled with the delight he would feel if she said yes.  
  
Neal rose quickly from his bed and went to stand before the broken piece of glass he had hung by a nail on his room wall to serve as a mirror. He began fumbling with his hair, slicking back and then trying it to the side. He had played with it for a good ten minutes before he was satisfied. He then went to his water basin and splashed his face with cold water. Neal then reached for his towel he had hanging by the basin and dried his face. Checking one more time in the mirror to make sure his clothing wasn't wrinkled or dirty and also to make sure his hair was suitable, he smiled and headed for the door.  
  
Stepping out into the hall, Neal began whistling the tune to a happy song he'd heard played at a ball once. He couldn't help but think that on his return trip to his room, he'd be assured with the knowledge that he would be escorting Daine to the ball. He made his was fast through the halls, all the way to her rooms.  
  
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Daine sat idly in her bed chamber, doing very little of interest. Right now, she was stretched out on her bed, her smoky brown curls spread over her goose feather pillow. She was clad in a plain white cotton shirt and a pair of old brown breeches. She hadn't planned to do anything much today besides stay inside the palace for some gods sent rest, so she hadn't wore any of her work clothes. She felt so relaxed, and so free. It was true, she normally despised with a passion being lazy as she was now, but it felt so good that she just couldn't stop. War could do that to a person. It could wear anyone out faster than the blink of an eye.  
  
Currently, Daine was skimming through a book Numair had loaned her several weeks back, the last time they'd been at the palace before being transported into the Divine Realms. It was a thick leather bound book about the habits of grizzly bears; such an item Daine had never imagined ever being able to even lay hands on before she'd met Onua at the horse fair just five years back. It was amazing how far she'd come since then. She'd merely been a shy country girl on the run from a hard past, back then. Now, she was the renowned Wild Mage of Tortall! She was friends with Tortall's monarchs, the King's Champion, and her lover was the country's greatest mage. Yes, it was very true that her present life contrasted her old life in ever way.  
  
Just as she was getting to the chapter on grizzly feeding habits, there was a loud rapping on the door. "Just a moment!" she called, hurriedly marking her place in her book and setting it on her nightstand. Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she rose and stood to her feet. She dashed out the open bed chamber door and into the main living room and to her front door. There was another knock, and she reached for the knob and swung the door open.   
  
In the doorway stood Numair. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. "May I come in?" he asked, his lips twisted in a small smile. She'd always adored that smile, likely since the first time she'd seen it.  
  
"Need you even ask?" she replied with a grin.   
  
"Oh, well, I'll just be going then," he said with a look of mock misunderstanding at her statement. His smile had turned into a smirk. Daine sighed, rolling her eyes at his attempt at humoring her. With on hand on her hip to make her annoyance clear, she dashed forward after him and grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her.  
  
"Come in, you dolt!" she exclaimed, letting her tongue dart out at him briefly. Before she'd even had time to blink, he'd thrust his arms out around her waist and pulled her up in his arms. She kicked in squirmed in a mock effort to get away. He laughed at this, as she continued to giggle in his arms. He carried her through the door, and attempted to kick it shut behind him. Neither Daine nor Numair noticed that it did in fact not fully close, but stayed a crack open, for both were too preoccupied in the other's company.  
  
"As if I would turn this down?" His voice was teasing as he brought his lips down to kiss her forehead. He walked over to the couch, Daine in his arms, and sat down.  
  
"As if I would let you," It was more of a statement that a question. Roughly, she swung her arms around his neck and pulled his head down closer to hers. She didn't hesitate to let her lips meet his, kissing him. He responded as soon as their lips had met, making Daine feel the fire rush through every inch of her body. The two stayed like this for some time, very much wrapped up in the other. Every once in a while they would separate from lack of air, but even that was rare.  
  
There was a loud rapping at the door. Normally, Daine would have heard this, but the current situation prevented her from doing so. Numair had finally removed his lips from hers, and was breathing heavily from having lacked air for so long. Her breathing mirrored his own, making both of them smile. Numair leaned in once more and began kissing her neck and moving up to her face. She moaned in pleasure at his actions. She didn't ever want him to stop.  
  
"I love you," he said in between kisses. She couldn't even manage to choke out a response, she was too enthralled. He once again brought his lips back to hers, kissing her passionately and fully.   
  
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Neal walked through the halls for a long time until he finally reached Daine's room. It was a fair long distance from the Page's Wing to the Mage's Wing. It would be quite a pain if he would always have to walk this far to visit Daine once she was his lover. No, he wouldn't think of that! He wouldn't get his hopes up. He couldn't afford to do that. He had to keep his wits about him if he wanted to do this right.  
  
He sighed once more as wild thoughts of Daine continued flying through his mind. He would love to get a chance to kiss her. Perhaps he could tonight, if she said yes. He could make it very romantic even. As soon as she said yes, he could scoop her in his arms and kiss her, just like in a novel he'd read! That would be perfect, and a truly affective way of impressing her. Surely she couldn't refuse?  
  
"Yes, Neal, tonight could be your night," he told himself as he walked, careful not to get his hopes up. His efforts were in vain, for it was obvious that he already had.  
  
Finally, Neal reached her room. He smiled broadly when he saw the brass nameplate on the door that read 'Veralidaine Sarrasri.' The image of it saying 'Mistress Veralidaine of Queenscove' suddenly popped into his mind, and he struggled to wipe it out. "Oh, Mithros," Neal muttered as he approached the door. "help me."  
  
Neal was about to reach out and knock, but he felt a pang of nervousness run through him, making his heart beat rapidly. He began running ideas of what to say to her through his head, but none seemed to satisfy him. -Damn- he thought lamely. -It all seemed to work just fine when I was back in my own room!-   
  
The page was unaware of it, but he began testing his ideas out loud. To his own credit, it was in little more than a whisper. "Oh, good evening Daine. I just wanted to ask you to the upcoming ball. No,no, no! That won't do at all!" Neal began frantically scolding himself for every idea he came up with. "Daine, I would be thrilled if you came with me to the ball. Thrilled? That'll never work! Come on, Neal! Think!"   
  
Neal began running his fingers through his hair nervously. Somehow, in the mild time span he spent standing on Daine's door step, he seemed to come to his wits. His bravery returned slightly, and he got the idea that he would just go in, and the words would come to him naturally. He'd finally agreed to himself, so there wasn't much else that he could do. Without further hesitation, he reached out and knocked loudly on her door. He was surprised to say the least when there was no answer. He waited a few minutes and let out a sigh of disappointment. He could hear noise inside, indicating she was there. He could also see light shining from the crack in the door. Wait, the crack in the door! If door was open,even just a crack, it was a sign that one could simply enter. Neal decided to take advantage of this rule of proper court behavior. He opened the door o bit wider, wide enough for him to step inside. He shut the door quietly behind him, and walked into her main living room.  
  
Neal was not at all prepared for the site that lay before him."What the-" Was all Neal could manage to say, cutting himself off midsentence becuase he was too shocked to finish his thought. On the couch, Daine lay, but she was not alone. She was sitting on the lap of her teacher, Master Numair. Not only that, but Neal was shocked to see that their lips were locked in a passionate kiss. He couldn't believe it! How could this happen? Daine was his! But that wasn't entirely true, and he knew it, but that didn't change the fact that this apparent relationship she had was completely wrong! Master Numair was nearing thirty, and she was still in her teens! Not to mention the fact that their relationship was supposed to be platonic, for he was her teacher. This site before him sickened him more than he could fathom. He wanted to dash over there and pull that terrible man off of the young woman he loved. Master Numair had no right to do this to her, none at all.  
  
A loud gasp was emitted by Neal when he watched Daine slip her arms around Master Numair's neck, a sign of affection. She was most definately not refusing this, and to him that was unacceptable. Master Numair must have spelled her, or forced her to consume some sort of illegal love potion. That was the only logical explanation. Neal winced when he heard Daine gasp. It had sounded distinctly like a gasp of pleasure. -Thats because it is- Neal though agrily, not willing to accept what he saw. 


	12. To Accept A Mage And Reject A Page

A/N: I hoped you liked last chapter! This one picks up directly after it, so I hope you enjoy! R/R! ^_^  
  
Also, I just thought I'd announce, since I forgot to last time, that I met Tammy the week before last on the 6th of November!!! *does dance* I was at the book store in San Jose where she was doing a book signing! If any of you were also there, please let me know because its likely we saw each other.....I don't live in San Jose, though....I just went there because it wasn't that much of a drive...  
  
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Daine felt sudden shock as Numair roughly pulled his lips from hers. She knew his reason, for she'd heard it too. "What the-" Came a familiar voice from across the room before Daine had even a chance to look. She was shocked to see that their intruder was not the Lioness or Onua as she had expected would be the one to find out, but in fact her last choice. It was none other than Nealan of Queenscove, the page she had met upon her arrival at the palace just two days ago.  
  
There was an awkward silence, none daring to speak. It gave Daine the impression that time was frozen, and she was free of this truly embarrassing moment in life. She knew this wasn't possible, but she could take this silence no more than she could take the awkward feelings she knew were soon to come as soon as someone did speak. Thinking on this, she knew it would hurt much less if she was the first. That might also prevent harsh words on Neal's part. Those were things she did not by any means want to hear. She had enough doubt about her new found love without taking on the burden of Neal's doubt. "Was there, -er- something I could do for you, Neal?" Daine asked politely, though ever so quietly. Her statement had been one to hide the current situation, which she knew well was an impossible task.  
  
"Something you could do for me?" Neal repeated, soft at first, but his voice soon grew louder and harsher. His words were cutting, sharp as a Shang blade. The pain and perhaps hurt was evident in his voice. Perhaps Numair's obvious yet silent jealousy had been well based after all. "Something YOU could do for ME?" Neal repeated, emphasizing the words 'you' and 'me.' He did not even bother to hush his voice or retain any sort of polite nature about him. His hurt was rapidly washed over by a sort of rage, and in his mind a well placed one.  
  
  
  
"Neal-" Not wishing to throw him into a fit, for she knew he was upset and she felt a pang of guilt for it, she used a soft, gentle tone. It was much like a voice she might use when trying to speak to an enraged animal, she'd done it many times.  
  
"No, no," Neal voiced with a slight maniac laugh. His lips were parted and stretched into an odd sort of grin. Happiness was the last thing his facial expression was revealing to Daine. It was more like an insane anger, and she felt it was her fault. "I was a fool to think I could have you. What could I have been thinking? Daine, the renowned Wild Mage of Tortall having anything to do with me, a simple page who's too old to even be that?"  
  
Neal didn't give either of the two 'lovers' time to respond to his last statement. He cursed under his breath and glared one last time at Daine's teacher before turning on his heel and storming out of the room. He had no reason to stay. His sole purpose for even going to her room in this late hour had been to ask if he could be her escort to the ball, but there was no use in that now. She already had an escort, and probably more than that. Neal didn't think he'd been so hurt in his entire life. He'd dared to let his heart dive deeper than it had ever gone before, and he'd drowned. His heart had been beaten with a stick and crushed into a fine powder.  
  
Just as Neal was about to head back to his own room on the other end of the palace, he heard frantic foot steps coming up behind him, and he turned to find Daine scurrying up the hall behind him. He sighed, and quickly turned his head and attempted to move forward, but found to his dismay that his feet wouldn't move as his heart so desperately wanted them to. "Neal?" Daine called out to him when she reached his side. She could see that his figure was tense, and possibly unwilling to stay and talk to her.  
  
"What do you want?" Neal muttered, his voice accidentally revealing his longing. Daine saw this, and swallowed hard. She'd never been in a position like this before, and it wasn't all that appealing.  
  
"You and I both know that we need to talk about this," Daine ventured, hoping her friend would go along with it.   
  
Sighing, and running a confused hand through his mass of light brown hair. This reminded her a lot of Numair, for he always did things of this sort. The more she thought about it, the more Neal reminded her of her lanky friend and lover. "Fine," His statement was simple, but was quite a relief to Daine. He sounded a bit reluctant, but Daine went ahead with it anyway.  
  
"First off, what were you doing in my room without knocking? I could have been changing or something!" Daine knew her words came off a bit too harsh, and she wasn't in the least bit surprised when he winced.  
  
"The door was open, which to me is a sure sign that visitors are welcome," Neal snapped, voice cold as steel. His emerald eyes darted down, refusing to be met by her own. For the first time since she'd met the page, his eyes weren't shimmering merrily, nor was his appearance welcoming. He was stone cold, which contrasted everything that Daine knew about this boy thus far.  
  
Daine thought about this for a moment. She couldn't blame Neal for any of this. It wasn't his fault, after all. At the palace, it was considered an unwritten rule that if a door to a courtier's private chambers was left open, that they were welcoming visitors. When Numair came and swept her off her feet and carried her through the door, he must not have closed it all the way, thus the door was left open. "Neal, I'm so sorry," was the only thing Daine could think of to say to her friend. She felt that she had betrayed him, and she knew he must feel the same.  
  
Neal sighed, and thought hard on this. He shouldn't have seen what he saw tonight. He had no right to have seen the two lovers as they were. Part of this whole mess was his own fault, and he would take partial blame for it. He still couldn't believe it to be true. Daine, one of the most beautiful maidens at the palace, was courting a man who was at least fourteen years older than herself. "Is it true, Daine?" Neal asked, his voice holding a shred of hope. There was a slight chance that his eyes had deceived him.  
  
"Neal, you saw it for yourself, so how could you question it?" Daine asked irridiculously. She was slightly amused that Neal didn't believe his own eyes in what they saw.  
  
"So, Master Salmalin, he's your lover?" Neal asked hesitantly, still running his hand through his mane of hair.   
  
"Yes," Daine's voice was positive, leaving the page no room for doubt.  
  
"He didn't force you into any of this, did he, Daine?" Neal's voice was serious, his eyes worried. Here was a person who really did care for Daine. He'd known her only a short time, yet he still worried for her and seemed ready to defend her if necessary.  
  
"Of course he didn't!" Daine said, slightly smiling as she thought of her lanky friend. "Neal, what you should know about Numair, is that he truly cares for me, and would never take advantage of me. He's too honorable for any of that. I love him, just as he loves me." As she said these things, Daine felt as if she was assuring herself as much as she was Neal. Numair had shown her just how much he loved her, many times in fact. He'd even proposed to her, only two weeks back. She hadn't given him an answer, and if she was honest with herself, she hadn't spent much time thinking on it. Somehow, she was feeling more sure of herself and Numair now. It was as if in convincing Neal, she was also convincing herself.  
  
"Then, what about the time you two spent the night together last year in the fall?" Neal accused, raising his eye brows. If Daine was amused by his first question, she was even more amused by this accusation. Many times people had mentioned something of the sort to her, and she'd laughed inside every time. It seemed that no matter what she and Numair did, for as long as she could remember, the court had always stuck the two in a bed.  
  
"Oh, that," Daine said, letting her laughter show through. Neal looked at her closely, as if her amusement by this was inappropriate. He just didn't understand, but Daine would open his eyes. "That wasn't at all what the courtiers and palace maids and servants made it out to be. You see, I went to Numair's room rather late for a lesson that night, and the both of us fell asleep. I didn't wake until the sun had risen the next morning. As soon as I did, I dashed out of the room and one of the maids saw me, and spread the rumor that Numair had bedded me. None of it was true."  
  
"I never knew," Neal said, thinking hard about her story. It seemed very probable, and also more satisfying to believe than the tale the maids had told about the two sleeping together.  
  
"I'm sorry things had to happen like this Neal," Daine said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. She was rewarded for her efforts when Neal flashed her one of his full smiles. This made Daine feel a great deal better, though she knew it was forced on his part.  
  
"Its all right Daine," Neal replied, voice soft. He gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled at this, and he returned her smile with one of his own. "Friends?"  
  
"Friends," Daine said, drawing him close in a tight hug. He was slightly taken aback by this, but held her tight all the same. She let go all too soon for him. It was then that she remembered something she'd thought of before. "What did you come to talk to me about anyway, Neal?" Daine asked curiously.  
  
Neal's face paled at this. This was one question that he did not by any means want to answer. He hadn't told her yet, anything of his affections for her, and he found that now it would be much to awkward. He thought it best that she never know how he felt towards her. She had already given her heart away, and could never get it back from what she'd told him thus far. There were plenty of other young women at court that he could turn his attentions to, maybe even eventually love. Yes, he loved Daine now, but now that he knew for a fact she didn't return his affections, perhaps he could and would move on in time. He'd have to come up with an excuse in place of his true reason for coming to see her, and fast. Her lips were parted, her hands folded idly across her chest. She looked at him, eyes impatient as she awaited his answer.   
  
"I -er- to tell you the truth, Daine, I don't remember now," Neal said lamely, mentally slapping himself for not being able to come up with a suitable answer. "Being the circumstances and all, my mind's become rather clouded just now."  
  
Daine raised an accusing eye brow at him. She didn't believe one word of what he said, but decided that his explanation would have to do for the time being. It was no use disturbing him more than she already had that night. Besides, it didn't truly matter. If he wanted to tell her, he would. "Oh, well that's all right, Neal," Daine said, acting as if she did in fact believe his obvious fib. "I'd best be going now. I told Numair I'd be back in a few minutes, and he'll worry if I'm gone too long."  
  
Neal couldn't stop himself as a scowl formed on his mouth and face. For what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, he mentally kicked himself for poor behavior. He'd have to keep a tighter reign on himself, before one day he got into real trouble for letting his true emotions show through. As a knight to be, he would be expected to be on top behavior, and keep most of his own personal opinions to himself. Pages were expected to do anything that was asked of them without any questioning. Neal still needed practice in this area, of that much he was certain.  
  
"Neal, all of this, it doesn't bother you, does it?" Daine asked, hoping he would give her an honest answer. She'd only known Neal for a short time, but she still cared about how he felt about what she did with herself. She could tell he would be a good friend to her and she to him.  
  
"No," Neal said absentmindedly, trying hard not to put his mind into it. This was a lie that he hated to tell. He longed to tell this young woman what he really thought. He longed to shout out the he thought Numair was much too old for her, and that instead she should give her heart to him and not the mage. He couldn't do that to her though. He cared about her, and that was the only thing that kept him from holding his tongue. This wasn't something he was used to doing, for normally his tongue was extremely loose and tended to get him into unneeded trouble, including extra chores from the Stump. Not this time though; he wouldn't let his own foolishness hurt a friend. "No, not at all. Its your life Daine. You should do with it what you wish."  
  
Daine nodded, looking deeply in his eyes to try and find some sort of hint as to the credibility of his words. Somehow, they didn't sound the least bit sincere. They sounded forced, as though not of his own will. "Thank you, Neal," Daine said, still far from convinced. "I'll see you tomorrow maybe."  
  
"I hope so," Neal said, starting to act slightly more like himself. This brightened Daine up slightly. "Good night."  
  
Daine smiled one last time at her friend, before turning on her heal and rushing back to her room. She'd been gone longer than she had thought she would be upon leaving, for she had been sure Neal wouldn't want to even speak to her. She felt so relieved that he'd come around. She valued him as a friend, and didn't want that to be spoiled as she'd thought it was.  
  
Within a few minutes of rapid walking, Daine found herself in front of her room once more. She took in a deep breath, turned he brass knob and went inside. "That took you long enough," Numair grumbled at her once he heard the door to her room open. Daine rounded the corner and into her main living chamber, glaring at him as she went. She didn't say a word. She wanted him to say it first, for she was fair tired of all this serious talk. "Well? What happened?"  
  
"To my surprise, he spoke to me," Daine said simply, doing her best to toy with him. She knew what she was doing was pure torture for him, and she was loving every minute of it.  
  
"And?" His voice was anxious, his movements frantic as he sat up quickly, his eyes intent on her. She smiled at this, making him shoot her an annoyed glance.  
  
"He wasn't exactly mad about any of this, I suppose," Daine said, thinking on her friend's words. Did Neal really mean what he had said to her? Daine didn't want him to be angry with her inside and not tell her how he felt. She didn't know about any of this, but perhaps it didn't matter. "We talked things out."  
  
Numair let out a sigh over relief, making Daine shoot him a sidelong glance of curiosity as she raised her eye brow. "What was that for?" she asked curiously. A smile played at her lips when she continued to gaze at his expression of immense relief.  
  
"Do you really want to know?" he asked breathlessly, standing to his feet and towering over her.  
  
"I do," she replied with a tone to match his. She looked up and into his face. Their eyes met. He took her hands into his two large ones and held her gaze with his own.  
  
"I wish you'd say that to a different question," he teased, earning a light slap on the arm from his love. Numair had changed the subject to this for more than one reason; he did not want to answer her question. He smiled at her antics, but, despite his wishes, proceeded to answer her question. His tone went from smooth and teasing to completely serious. "I was afraid you'd run off with him."  
  
"You ought to know I have every intention of staying with you and you alone," Daine said, shooting him an accusing glance. His eyes broke away from hers, his face letting a slight amount of crimson show through his tan skin. -Good. He's ashamed of himself- Daine thought with some amusement.  
  
"Daine, you already know what I'm going to say to that, so I won't say what you already know," Numair's voice was pleading, begging her to understand why he was concerned. He looked away immediately, making Daine know she had to change the direction of this conversation.  
  
"There is something I discovered about, well, us, while I was out there talking to Neal," Daine said idly, hoping to lure him into her words. Her immediate change of subject was completely intentional, and with a very amusing purpose. As it turns out, she'd done some thinking this night, mostly while talking to Neal. Daine had come to several conclusions, and she knew that Numair would find them appealing. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist this temptation.  
  
"And what is that?" Numair asked quickly, turning his full attention to Daine. He did his best to hide his anxious expression, but failed miserably. That was one thing in life he had never been good at hiding, his emotions.  
  
"I discovered that its you," Daine said, knowing exactly what she was doing to him. She was purposefully letting him know as little as possible. To him, it was a form of torture.  
  
"You're going to have to be less vague, Magelet," he said with a laugh, trying to hide the slight anxiety he was feeling. His mind was jumping to conclusions as to what she did mean, and it was making him all the more excited. Was this anything to do with his proposal?  
  
"Its you that I want to spend my life with," Daine said, watching for his reaction. It was immediate, just as she had expected. His eyes lit up, even though she hadn't completely said the words yet. "So, I'd like to know if your proposal is still good?"  
  
Numair didn't answer her right away, nor at all; at least not in words. He still held her hands in his two larger ones and he took advantage of this. He jerked her forward, drawing her into his chest. Within the blink of an eye, he'd lifted her off of the ground and up to eye level with him. She smiled at his antics, longing for him to close the distance between them. He inched his face closer to hers, until it was little more than the thickness of a piece of parchment away. Their noses touched, and she could feel his warm breath against her lips. "Do you truly mean that?" He asked finally, his tone breathless. He spoke in little more than a whisper, but his words meant more to her than if he'd shouted them.  
  
"I'm fair certain I wouldn't have said them if I didn't mean them," she teased, earning a strangled laugh from him. He did not lower her to the ground, but held her in mid air, tight against his chest. He hesitated only a moment before drawing her lips into his own and kissing her with all he was worth. He led her on like this for several minutes, tiring himself as he did so. It was no easy task to hold something that is more that half of your own weight for such a time.  
  
Numair finally removed his lips with the intention of making this final. He lowered her back to the ground so that both of her feet were planted firmly on the hard wood floor of her living chamber. He proceeded to bend down on one knee, making his head reach just above the nape of her neck, a result of his massive height. "Veralidaine Sarrasri, will you marry me for certain?"  
  
"What do you think?" she teased, batting her curly lashes innocently. Numair looked up at her from his position on the floor and gave her a mock look of annoyance.  
  
"You know, Magelet, I always thought this was a 'yes' or 'no' question," Numair pointed out, still grinning despite her stubbornness. Any time he every expected anything from Daine, he was always drastically surprised, and usually for the best. This was one of the many reasons he loved her above all else.  
  
"Well, if you're going to be picky about it, then yes,"Daine said, sighing in mock exasperation. She placed on hand firmly on her hip, while resting the other against his cheek, cupping it affectionately as he so often had done to her. For once, she stood above him.  
  
Numair reached up a hand and tightly grasped her own that rested on his face. Her face was lit up with a wide smile, as was Numair's. He stood to his feet, once again towering over her. He never let go of her hand, which was still tightly entwined with hers. "Oh, gods, Daine thank you!" He all but yelled, drawing her to his chest before she even had a chance to make out what he'd said.  
  
Slightly taken aback, but enjoying herself all the same, Daine clung tightly to his body, throwing her arms around his neck. She was shocked further when he once again lifted her off of the ground, letting her feet dangle in mid air. He pulled her closer, and captured her lips with his own. Daine immediately caught on and responded to his kiss, letting the fire rise up in her body and mind. She felt sparks of pleasure as she felt his hand grip tightly to the back of her shirt. He caressed her back lovingly, and she returned the favor by letting her fingers slide through his hair, playing with the strands.  
  
Daine opened her eyes mid-kiss and gently pulled her head back, removing her lips from his. Her lips curled into a smile as she noticed that he'd let his eyes remained closed as he pulled himself out of the fire he was feeling. He took in a breath and groaned at her for stopping. "Will you stay here with me tonight?" Daine asked, pulling his face down so that he was looking at her. His eyes were now open, and he was staring at her intently, as if deep in thought.  
  
"Are you sure that's proper?" he asked, causing Daine to snort in laughter.  
  
"Since when have you much cared for what's proper?" she pointed out, resulting in him glaring menacingly at her before letting his lips break into a smile.  
  
"Since I'm with you," he said plainly, leaving her no room to doubt his claims. "I love you, and don't want you to be troubled by talk."  
  
"At his point, does it truly matter? We are after all, engaged," It felt incredibly funny to say that word in regard to herself. It made her feel an odd sense of giddiness that made her want to run all around the palace, shouting out her good news. She didn't think the fellow residents at the palace would much enjoy that. It only took seconds for Daine to add," And its not as if we're going to do anything."  
  
Numair paused for a moment, and then opened his mouth as if he planned to say something, but then closed it. He remained silent for a few seconds before he finally knew what to say. "You've got a point, and I can't deny that I'd enjoy staying-" Numair seemed to be talking to both himself and Daine, as if convincing himself. "I will then."  
  
She hugged him tightly, causing him to smile a full smile. "Where's kit?" he questioned, knowing it was a bit off subject.  
  
"She's been asleep in my bed chamber since Tkaa brought her back around mid day," Daine said, nodding her head towards her bed chamber.   
  
"Tkaa and her must have been up to something energy consuming," Numair pointed out with slight laugh in his voice.  
  
"Every time she stays with him she comes back to me having learned some new trick and its usually fair annoying," Daine grumbled, but couldn't help but laugh at her own sour attitude.  
  
Yawning, Numair stretched out his arms. "I'm feeling rather tired," he voiced, "Its been a while since I've taught any classes, and I've three set for me to teach tomorrow."  
  
"We'd best be off to bed then," Daine supplied, feeling slightly tired herself. "I'll go ready myself for bed." Daine left him in her living chamber as she strode across the room and into her bed chamber.  
  
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A/N: I'm getting tired now, so I think I'll stop....I'm sorry this took so long, but there were things happening that couldn't be helped...Anyway, the next update will come when I've gotten a decent amount of reviews/when I get it done. I plan for it to pick up directly where this one left off. Also, something VERY HUGE happens in that chapter. Who knows, you may even hate me for it! REVIEW! ^_^ 


	13. Who Knew Forever Was So Short

A/N: Okie...time for some important plot formation....*ignores groans of readers* You guys can gripe and groan at me all you want, but you won't get anywhere! I'm a VERY stubborn person, and once I have my mind made up about something no one can change it.......Also, please take note that the war between Tortall and Scanra hasn't happened yet...that will play a key part in this chapter....  
  
Disclaimer: I'm getting sloppy about leaving these, so here....um yeah....I don't own it....any of it really.....so um moving on.....  
  
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(A/N: Just so you know, this scene takes place during all the d/n scenes since his last appearance......)  
  
"How DARE he?!" Jarlath roared, slamming his fist against his desk. He sat in his private study, reading the weekly reports from his allies and neighbors. He'd long been awaiting the response from Jonathan, and now that he'd gotten it, he was in a rage. "How dare that, that pig!"  
  
"C-calm down S-sire, I'm sure we may reason with h-him," Feron, Jarlath's personal servant tried to reason with his king and calm his temper, but found his attempts to be in vain.  
  
"Silence!" Jarlath spat, turning his fury upon Feron. He then threw his hands in the air out of anger, letting the response from Jonathan go flying through the air. "I won't stand for this, I won't!"  
  
"W-won't stand for what S-sire?" Feron stuttered and tremnled violently. He was deathly afraid of his king when Jarlath was in one of his rages.  
  
"Tortall has refused my demands, even after the promise of war!" Jarlath began nervously running his fingers through his greying hair. He wanted that Wild Mage. He wanted her so badly that it hurt. He would have her, there was no denying that. She would make the perfect addition to his court. If he planned to make Galla the highest country of the Mortal Realms, he would need to take more steps of authority. He could not by any means let the king of Tortall push him around.  
  
"What I need, is a way to make him wish he'd listened!" Jarlath began thinking out loud, completely ignoring Feron's presence. He threw himself down in his oak wood chair and pulled it up against his desk so he could better view the papers before him. There had to be an answer, there just had to be. It couldn't be that he'd lost favor with the gods. No, he wouldn't make that mistake like his royal cousin Ozorne did. He would succeed, and there would be no stopping him. If only Tortall knew of Galla's vast navy and built up army.  
  
Suddenly, Jarlath's eyes lit up as a malicious and brilliant thought entered his mind. "The allies!" he breathed, hardly daring to believe that he could have just solved his problem. "Yes, the allies! They'll come to my aid, on this account!"  
  
The old king leaped up from his desk and dashed across the room and to the door. Just as he was about to open it and head out, he turned to face Feron, whom he'd just remembered was still in his presence. "Feron," his voice was tinted with deathly steel. It was times like this that Jarlath ought to be feared more than when he was in one of his obvious rages. It was in these times that his mind was still open to rational thought, thoughts to murder. "Fetch me the Scanran delegates, now! Tell them that I summon them to the throne room at once!"  
  
"Y-yes Sire," Feron said, deeply bowing before dashing out of the king's study and breaking into a run as soon as he reached the hall.  
  
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Jarlath strode from his throne room with a wide grin upon his waxen face, amber eyes gleaming with satisfaction. He chuckled lightly to himself as he walked. He'd done it this time, oh he surely had. This time he would have Jonathan. He'd met with the Scanran delegation that he'd called upon to meet in council with Galla mere weeks ago, and he'd recieved some wonderous news from them. Their king, Maggur, had signed an alliance with Galla. This alliance was no insignificant document to rot in Jarlath's desk, either. No, it was in fact the most important document he'd ever recieved. It ensured that Scanra would go into every war with Galla and help to fight off every foe. It made Scanra as close to being a part of Galla as it was possible to be.  
  
"She'll be mine," Jarlath muttered evily under his breath. Things were working out much better than he'd ever even dared to hope, yet alone expect. It was as if the gods had meant all along for the fair Wild Mage of Tortall to fall into his grasp. He smiled as he thought of all of the possiblities and opportunities she would bring upon her arrival to Galla. Oh how he longed to see her set foot on Gallan soil.  
  
Jarlath was close to skipping in his steps as he walked rapidly back to his study. He had a letter to write, and important one at that. He was eager to claim what should have rightfully been his. The sooner he wrote to Jonathan, the better. It only made sens to send his demands now, for he would rather Veralidaine arrive in Galla in time for the Midwinter festivities, which were mere months away.  
  
As soon as Jarlath stepped into his study, he sat down at his desk, pulling his oak wood chair as close up to the table as it would go. He pulled open the top right drawer and drew out a blank, rolled piece of parchment. He reached for his quill, dipping it in his ink well.  
  
Dear King Jonathan III of Conte:  
  
I regret to inform you that my tolerance ar your refusal of my unnegotiable demands is running dry by the hour. Lady Sarrasri is a Gallan citizen, and in keeping her on Tortallan soil, against her king's will is considered hostaging. This is intolerable as far as I'm concerned. My first reaction to this offence against my counntry and my people would be a declaration of war, but I see it fit to permit you one last chance.   
  
  
  
At this time, the conditions have changed. King Maggur of Scanra has just signed a treaty with Galla. Not just any treaty mind you, but one that guarrentees their support in the time of war. I do not think it possible for Tortall to stand alone against the military forces of both Galla and Scanra. I will also remind you, that none of your northern, or even sounthern alliances will be of any use to you. It is against the code of war to coincide with a country who is at war with another while it holds citizens hostage. If they were to aid you, it would be dishonoring the ancient code of war and thus falling out of favor with the gods. I highly doubt if this would sound appealing to them.  
  
I ask for the sake of both Galla and Tortall, and for the sake of peace, that you reconsider your decision of keeping Lady Sarrasri on Tortallan soil. It would be a foolish waste of blood shed to go to war over a mere girl. It is obvious that Tortall would be lost. Do not deny it. Do not dishonor the ancient code. Do not fall out of favor with the gods. You have seen first hand what the consequences were for our royal cousin Ozorne's breaching of the code.  
  
Awaiting You Response,  
  
King Jarlath of Jerkins, Galla  
  
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(A/N: Ok...now we skip away from his Royal Stinkiness and get back to D/N....This scene picks up exactly where the last one did, you know, with Numair deciding to stay in Daine's room for the night......)  
  
As soon as Daine came out from behind the dressing screen in her bed chamber, she found that Numair had already entered and was waiting for her. He had pulled back the quit and sheets of her bed and currently had his lanky form stretched out across it, leaning his back against the wall. Daine noticed that he'd merely removed his shirt and was clad only in his breeches for the night. His boots lay tucked under the bed and his shirt folded neatly in the chair at her bedside.  
  
Daine smiled at him and went to move in next to him. She was clad in a thin, white shift, almost transparent in parts. Almost shyly she pulled back the quilt and sheets on her side of the bed and climbed in. She turned around and ruffled her goose feather pillow a bit, until it was in a comfortable state for her to sleep on. She wrapped the sheets around her bare legs and pulled the down quilt up to just above her breasts.  
  
Shyly, Daine looked over at her lover to find that he already had his eyes locked on her form, staring intently. His lips were parted in a partial smile. He noticed that she was watching him and he blushed. He'd never felt this awkward when he shared a bed with a lover before. He flashed a smile in her direction, which she returned gratefully.It seemed that neither of the two wanted to speak just now. Words weren't needed in a time like this.  
  
Silently, Numair reached for her hand and entwined it with his own. Instinctively, Daine scooted closer to him util she rested within the circle of his arms. Numair lifted his arms up and around her to better accomodate her. He brushed his lips lightly against the side of her neck and said simply, "I love you."  
  
Daine sighed contently at his words, not knowing anything else that would be suitable to do just now. She felt so different now, since her agreement to become engaged to Numair. It was hard to believe that in a short matter of time, depending on their to be decided engagement length, she, Veralidaine Sarrasri would be a married woman. For a good part of her life, she'd taken it as a known fact that she would never marry. All of the villagers of Snowsdale, her own neighbors, had always made it quite clear to her that no respectable man would ever even consider marrying Sarra's bastard. Once again since her arrival in Tortall, Daine had proved the villagers wrong.  
  
"What are you thinking?" Numair voiced audibly, his tone soft and in little more than a whisper.  
  
"That its fair amazing," Daine mused, still stuck in her visions and dreams of married life. As a young girl, she'd always fancied marrying someone,that was, until she'd been old enough to pay more attention to what people said about her. Not long after that point in her life, she'd dreaded the mere idea of it. Now, it seemed so pleasant and welcoming, that it sent chills of pleasure up Daine's spine.  
  
"What's amazing, sweet?" Numair asked curiously, letting his upper body rest against his elbow, all the while still holding Daine in the circle of his arms.  
  
"That we're engaged," Daine supplied, causing him to chuckle merrily at her words. She lightly slapped his shoulder, turning her body in his arms so that her chest wwas pressed against his own and her face facing his. Raising an eye brow, she said, "Pray tell don't laugh at me, Master Mage," she used one of her many nicknames for Numair. She normally used this particular one when she was trying to sound mock vexed with him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Magelet," Numair replied, still chuckling. "How do you feel about it?"  
  
"Different," Daine said simply, unable to supply any single word that she believed to be more fitting. "I feel like I'm flying on warm currents of wind."  
  
Again, Numair found her choice of words amusing. "I know how you feel," he said in agreement. "I've never felt this way before."  
  
"Well then I'm glad I'm not alone," Daine said with a grin, idley playing with his hair, which he'd let fall around his shoulders. He prefered to take it out of its horse tail at night when he slept. Daine thought he looked handsome with it this way.  
  
Daine gasped suddenly when, without warning, he began raining tiny kisses down the side of her neck. He closed his eyes and continued, reaching the neckline of her shift. Pausing only for a brief moment, Numair began kissing all of her exposed skin, leaving her limp and trembling within his grasp. "Mmmmm," was all she found herself able to voice.  
  
Returning the favor, Daine rearranged her position, and kissed his cheek lovingly. She let her lips slide down the side of his face until she found his mouth. She brushed her lips against his, lightly at first, but soon becoming more insistant. She could feel his lips curling into a smile as she performed this task, and felt utter delight when he responded with zeal, kissing her back.  
  
Daine let her body continue reshifting its position, rubbing affectionately against his bare chest. She buried her face in the nape of his neck, smiling when she felt his spare hand entangle intself in her mass of smoky brown curls. They now faced each other once more, eyes transfixed on the other. To an onlooker, it would appear as though the two were bewitched under some sort of spell. They were under no spell; merely free will and love for the other drove them. Daine smiled at her love, and it only broadened when he flashed a grin in return.  
  
"Perhaps we ought to sleep now," Daine suggested after a long while, yawning. She knew very well that they had a difficult task ahead of them tomorrow, and that was announcing their engagement to all of their friends and eventually to the court. How would they react? No one but Daine, Numair, and Neal even knew that thier relationship was no longer platonic. It would surely come as quite a shock when they announced their wishes to wed as soon as possible. "We've a big thing to do tomorrow."  
  
"If you're speaking of the thing I think you are, then I most definately agree," Numair said, letting his eyes dart up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "We've quite a story to tell everyone, Magelet, and I've also got my first classes to teach in months. Its going to over all be a busy day."  
  
Nodding, Daine smiled and turned to her bedside table where her light globe burned and illuminated the room. She put a hand over it, completely covering it, and the light immediately went out, leaving the room in complete darkness. "Good night, love," Numair voiced, yawning.  
  
"G'night," Daine replied, as she shifted her position to a comfortable one for sleeping. It was only then that she let herself drift off to sleep.  
  
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The first rays of light were only just coming over the horizon as Jon began going through the day's mail in his private study. Thayet still slept and he'd promised to dine with her for breakfast, so he found it logical to knock some of this large pile of work away now. Lately, he was very accustomed to awaking at such an hour; at times even earlier. Sleep had become a delicacy for poor Jon.   
  
Yawning, Jon began scanning the papers that were littered all over the surface of his desk with his fingers. For the most part it was the usual reports, even one from Raoul, which was surprising to Jon. Usually, the old knight and commander of the King's Own forgot such reports. Jon found himself chuckling as he read through Raoul's letter. It didn't contain anything of much importance from what Jon could see, but he was grateful all the same for his friend's news, being that he never got any.  
  
After about an hour of such work, Jon was getting extremely tired of it. He stole a glance out of the single window in his study to see that the sun was almost completely up, signifying that his Thayet would soon be up. "I'd best hurry and finish then," Jon said aloud, energized by the hope that he would soon get a decent break from this horrid work load.  
  
It was just as Jon turned back to his desk and piles of paper that he noticed the parchment with the Gallan seal. -Perfect- he thought lamely, -Not another one- Preparing himself for complete boredom and utter annoyance that Jon was sure he would find upon opening the letter from Jarlath, Jon reluctantly broke the seal. Grumbling and making it completely clear that he was in no mood to be doing this, Jon unrolled the piece of parchment to see what was written inside. What he found was a lengthy letter in Jarlath's scrawl. Sighing, Jon went to work reading it. What he read horrified him. "What?" he asked himself, completely alarmed. He let the note fall from his grasp as he slammed his fist hard against his desk. His fist made painful contact with the wood and he recoiled it in pain, idly sucking on it.  
  
Cautiously, hands trembling from anger, Jon once again lifted the note to see if he had read it correctly. After all, it was still early morning, and he hadn't slept much the previous night. He'd made such a mistake before, when he'd thought that Emperor Kaddar of Carthak had declared war against Tortall. Jon groaned in frustration and anger when he soon found that he'd read it correctly the first time around. "Damn," he muttered under his breath. "This can't be happening!" He felt so frustrated just now. He threw his head roughly into his wands and began nervously running his fingers through his hair.   
  
"What will I tell her?" he began musing frantically, wondering if there was any way to break this news to Daine that wouldn't break her heart. What he'd read in the letter, was that she would indeed have to go back. There was no way that Tortall could stand a war anytime soon. The recent Immortals War had taken quite a toll on Tortall, meaning they would have to remain peaceful for quite a while to come. Not only that, but Tortall wouldn't be going up against only Galla. According to Jarlath, the Scanran king had signed a treaty with Galla signifying that they would aid Galla in its war with Tortall should there be one. "What in the name of the great gods am I going to do without my Wild Mage!" Jon yelled in utter defiance.   
  
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Daine awoke as the sun began pouring into her room through her open bed chamber window. She could feel the warm rays of sun falling upon her face, and wondered how there could still be so much warmth with Midwinter so close to coming. Yawning, Daine opened her eyes and sat up, almost jumping when she noticed the figure that lay sleeping next to her. She'd completely forgotten that Numair had stayed with her the previous night, and it wasn't as thought she were accustomed to sharing her bed. Smiling, Daine leaned back to rest her head against the wall that her bed was up against. She reached under the quilt and sheets and took hold of her lover's overly large hand.  
  
Remembering suddenly that Numair had mentioned having to teach classes before the noon bell, Daine decided it best to wake him now so that he would have time to dress and eat. "Wake up, Numair," Daine prompted, lightly shaking him. She watched with amusement as his face wrinkled in distaste. He groaned at her antics and turned over onto his side, turning his back to her. Sighing, Daine said, "You'll be late for the day's classes, Numair, if you plan to eat and dress."  
  
Numair's eyes snapped open immediately at her most recent words, making her laugh. He quickly turned his head counter clock wise to look out the window and see where the sun was in the sky. By looking, he knew it was still rather early to be up, but thanked his love all the same. He wouldn't have woken up if she hadn't helped him along. "What time are your classes?" Daine asked once he looked as thought he had properly woken up and had rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
"I'd say I have a good hour and a half before I have to go," Numair supplied, stretching out his limbs and letting his back crack. "If you'd like, I'll throw on my shirt and go down to the Mess Hall and grab some breakfast for the two of us and bring it back here to eat. I should have enough time after eating to run over to my rooms and change into clean clothes."  
  
"I'd like that," Daine said with a smile, leaning closer to him and kissing the tip of his nose. He chuckled and snaked an arm around her shoulders, and up to rest on the back of her head in her hair. He brushed his lips with hers swiftly, but then pulled away within the blink of an eye. When she looked into his face after he pulled away, she found that his features held something like a mock smirk.  
  
"I'll just be a minute, Magelet," he voiced as he rose from the bed, throwing his legs over the side. He walked over to the chair that he'd thrown his shirt over the previous night, picking up his neatly folded shirt. He hastily unfolded it and pulled it on, hurriedly buttoning it up to the top. To save time, he left the top few buttons open. He walked over to Daine's mirror that she had hung by a nail on the wall that rested just above her water basin. He splashed some of the cool water onto his face and began straightening his hair as best he could. He tied his hair back ungracefully in a horse tail just before turning back to Daine. He quickly kissed her on the cheek to acknowledge his leaving and strode out the bed chamber door. It only took a few seconds for Daine to hear the sound of her room door opening and then clicking shut.  
  
"While he's out, I may as well rest some more," Daine mused as she let herself fall back onto her pillow. She pulled her blankets up around her and laid on her back, legs straight. She smiled at the thought of his kindness in going to retrieve breakfast for the two of them. -I'm glad I'm marrying him- she thought dreamily, -He's so sweet-  
  
Just as Daine was about to close her eyes for a quick rest, she heard a soft, yet audible rapping on her door. She could hear Kit trilling from the main chamber of her room where the young dragonet had slept. The previous night, Daine had banished Kit to the couch in the main chamber of her room so that she and Numair could have their privacy, and also because Numair took up a great deal of the bed, leaving no room for the dragonet. Sighing, Daine threw back the covers and swung her leg over the side of the bed. She pulled herself to her feet and went to her bed chamber door. "Just a moment!" she called out to whoever was knocking at her door as she reached for her cotton robe that hung on a nail beside her bed chamber door. She hastily threw it on and exited her bed chamber and went to the door of her main chamber.  
  
Daine quickly turned the brass door knob and opened the door to reveal a page, much younger than Neal, standing before her. He was rather short for his age and had a mass of coppery curls on his head. "Can I help you?" Daine voiced to the young boy, making him jump.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," he said, voice shaking slightly, "I've a message for Veralidaine Sarrasri from the king."  
  
"Well, then you're speaking to the right person," Daine said, wondering what Jonathan could want from her so early in the day. The fact that the message was from the king did explain the young page's nervous manner. Jonathan rarely used the first year pages to deliver his messages, so most of them weren't used to such direct contact from His Majesty. Daine knew from personal experience that Jonathan could be rather intimidating upon first meeting him. "What does His Majesty ask of me?" Daine asked, hoping that it wasn't anything to do with a sick animal to be healed. No matter how many injured animals she'd seen, she could never get used to the sight of such a thing. She dreaded seeing any creature in pain, as did most sane people.  
  
"His Majesty requests your company in his private study, Lady Sarrasri," The page said politely, delivering the king's message.   
  
"All right," Daine replied, trying to hide the disappointment from her voice. She hoped she could finish her business with Jon in a hurry so that she would have time to share breakfast with Numair. -My new fiancee- she thought happily. "Tell His Majesty that I'll meet him there as soon as I can dress."  
  
The page bowed and turned on his heel to leave, dashing down the palace halls. Daine didn't wait to watch him go, she quickly slammed the door shut and dashed back to her bed chamber to change. "Leave it to Jon to summon me when I'm looking forward to doing something else," Daine grumbled as she slipped out of her robe and shift and to her closet to get some clean clothes. She pulled on a pair of plain brown breeches and cream colored shirt. Also, deciding that the halls of the palace had been rather cold lately, she threw on her gray tunic and went over to her water basin to wash her face. She gazed at her appearance in the mirror, and sighed when she saw the mess her hair was in. She attempted to run a comb through it, but found this to be a more difficult task than it sounded. "I don't have time for this!" Daine muttered in her frustration with her gods cursed hair.   
  
Just as Daine uttered these words of frustration, she could hear Kit come up behind her. The dragonet let out a single chirp and then a light trilling and Daine could feel her curls falling neatly into place. "Thank you, Kit!" Daine exclaimed, reaching a hand down to pat the dragonet on the head.   
  
Daine quickly ran to her bedside table and pulled a spare piece of parchment from the drawer. She hastily scrawled a quick note to Numair, explaining her absence in case he were to return before she got back from going to see Jon. Without any further delays, Daine quickly strode out of her room and into the hall. From there she just about ran all the way to Jon's private study, breathing heavily by the time she got there. She lightly rapped on the door, awaiting a response from within. "Come in!" Came Jon's voice from the other side of the door. Daine didn't hesitate to turn the brass knob and let herself in.   
  
Once inside, she found Jon sitting at his desk in the corner, facing the window. She hadn't suspected to find him anywhere else. He turned to face her, and odd expression on his face. His crystal clear blue eyes did not twinkle with delight as they usually did. His manner seemed rather grim. -The war must be getting to him- Daine thought, never considering that the real reason for his mannerism was actually herself. "You wanted to see me?" Daine asked hesitantly, hoping not to disturb him further.  
  
"Yes, Daine, please sit," Jon said grimly, motioning with his hand to a chair across from his own. "Would you like a pastry?" Jon asked politely, though it was obvious his heart wasn't in it. He pointed to a tray that sat on a small table between them.  
  
  
  
"No thank you, Your Majesty," Daine politely refused the king's offer, "I already promised Numair I'd eat breakfast with him as soon as I get back from seeing you."  
  
"Ah, well then I shall try not to make this any longer than necessary. Though I must inform you right now, Daine, that it is a very serious matter with which I must discuss with you," Jon's tone hadn't changed in the slightest, making Daine wonder what could truly be bothering him.  
  
"What is it you wish to tell me, Highness?" Daine asked, starting to get a bit worried herself.  
  
"You know by now to call me Jonathan," Jon corrected her idly as his eyes turned thoughtful. "To tell you the truth I don't know how to tell you this, but-" Jon stopped suddenly. He couldn't do it, he just couldn't. How could he possibly tell her that after all she'd done for himself and his country, that he must force her to leave and return to a place she had never wanted to call home? It seemed so cruel and heartless, but did he really have much of a choice? -I have to do it- Jon told himself firmly.  
  
"But what?" Daine asked out of both curiosity and worry. She became even more nervous when the king began shaking his head, emitting a light chuckle. It was far from a laugh of happiness, though.  
  
"Here," Jonathan said lamely, deciding that since he could never tell her himself, he would instead have her read the letter for herself. Perhaps then she would better understand, and maybe not hate him for it.   
  
Daine watched as Jon reached across the distance that separated them, a piece of parchment in hand. Daine reached out a shaky hand and took it from his offering hand. She unfolded it and began to read what it said. She gasped suddenly, once she realized what it said, what it meant. She felt a mix of shock, panic and fear. "W-what is this, some kind of j-joke?" Daine stuttered finally, clinging tightly to the letter.  
  
"I'm afraid not, Daine," Jon said, his words grim and filled with regret. He felt so guilty when he looked into the fear stricken blue gray eyes that lay before him.  
  
"What does this mean?" Daine asked hesitantly, not at all wanting to know the answer, but knowing that she had to. A mass of horrible and terrifying thoughts rampaged through her mind, making her feel ill to say the very least.  
  
Jon hesitated for a moment, thinking carefully of how to best word it. "Daine, it would be impossible for Tortall to risk a war against two powerful countries and stand alone, especially right now," Jon said and hating himself after every word. He saw the deep look of hurt and worry in the young woman's eyes and he couldn't even begin to imagine what she must be feeling right now. Fear? Disbelief? It was all the same at this point.  
  
There was a brief moment's silence in which neither king nor subject spoke. Daine had her eyes glued firmly to the floor, head in her hands. Was she crying? Jon didn't know. He didn't want to know. It would only make him feel more guilt, and that was something he didn't need right now. -We can't risk war- was all he kept telling himself.   
  
"There isn't anything you can do?" Daine questioned Jon as she lifted her head up from her hands. Her eyes were red and her face tear stained. Her voice was filled with a hope and a trust in Jon, and it hurt him that he couldn't be a big enough person to help her.  
  
"I'm sorry Daine, but there isn't," Jon said trying his best not to make it sound as horrible for her as he knew it surely would be. "I'll be writing back to King Jarlath around midday today to see how you are to be transported."  
  
Tears began leaking freely from the Wild Mage's eyes. She'd come here with the intent of discussing whatever Jon wished to, and then announcing to him her engagement to Numair. She had so looked forward to telling all of her friends everything she'd been hiding. Now, it would do her no good. Why tell them anything now? All it would do was make them feel even more remorseful for the fact that they could do nothing. "Jon, are you positive you can do nothing, nothing at all?" Daine made one last final plee.  
  
Jon's eyes snapped open in what appeared to be irritation. When he was at a loss as he was now, or grieving over something, his reaction tended to be not so much sadness, but anger and rage. He had a short temper in such times as these. "No, damn it!" he snapped angrily, unable to stop himself, "You have to go!"  
  
Daine's light crying turned to sobbing. Once again she threw her head in her hands, feeling utterly helpless. All of this had come so fast. All of her fears, all of her haunting nightmares were becoming a horrifying reality and somehow this man thought she should be able to handle it. He'd snapped at her, and in her opinion was being cruel to her, so what more was she to think? -I'm losing my home, my friends, everything I hold dear- she thought sadly, between her tears and sobs.  
  
-Numair-, Daine thought suddenly. She hadn't thought of what she thought now upon first hearing the news. Now, her grief and worry had doubled, no tripled. Her wedding, she'd finally agreed to wed, and now that was jeopardized. -How will I tell him all of this?- she thought frantically, becoming more stressed by the minute. She wished Alanna were at the palace now, so that she could seek advice from the older woman.  
  
"I've things I need to attend to," Daine choked out these words between sobs. She knew she was being more than rude to her king, but she didn't care. Suddenly, she didn't feel so much loyalty to him as she had before this meeting. Her feelings seemed almost treasonous, but again, she couldn't care less.  
  
"You're dismissed," Jon muttered, voice still rather cold. He had no idea where this sudden cruelty had come from, and he didn't like it at all. It wasn't him, yet it always seemed to come. It was this sort of thing that had caused him to lose Alanna all those years ago in the desert with the Bazhir. He felt the need to apologize to Daine, but instead he just waved his hand as a signal for her to leave his presence.  
  
Daine didn't hesitate to rise from where she sat and just about run to the door. She couldn't handle sitting in that room for another second. The tension had been too much for her in this terrifying moment in her life. She grasped the brass door knob, turning it roughly and leaving water marks on it from the tears that had fallen onto her hands. She ran all the way down the halls until she reached her room. -not my room for long- she thought, mind clouded with stress and worry. As she ran, she frantically wiped her hands on her sleeves. She didn't want Numair to see that she'd been crying. Perhaps she wouldn't tell him right away when she got back. Perhaps she would have at least one more time with him that was carefree. She didn't want him to have the burden of going to teach his classes with her welfare on his mind. -Gods I can't lose him-  
  
Hesitant to enter, Daine stood fearfully outside her room door. -I can't do it- she kept thinking to herself. In truth, she wanted the comfort her chambers would bring her, and she wanted to be in Numair's arms. If anything would bring her any reassurance just now, that would be it. Sighing, thinking only of what she would have to do eventually if not now, Daine turned the brass door knob that led to her room and opened the door. She stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her. She hoped she could hold a straight face and perhaps a forced smile. She didn't by any means want to worry him.  
  
Once inside, she found Numair awaiting her, features alight with joy at the mere sight of her. This alone made Daine's heart twist painfully. While she had been gone, Numair had brought back two plates filled with breakfast from the Mess Hall for them to share. He had already set them out on her small table, where he sat waiting for her.   
  
Upon seeing her, he stood and went to greet her. He entangled his arm with hers, briefly leaning down to swiftly kiss her lips. "Ah, my beautiful fiancee returns," Numair said, voice gentle yet teasing. His dark eyes were twinkling as he gazed at her. He didn't know it, but his words stung her like a gaping wound. It once again showed her a glimpse of what she would so sorely miss. She still couldn't fully absorb that she was leaving, never to return. She couldn't believe that she wasn't marrying Numair. -Don't give up hope- she told herself. "What did Jon want that was so urgent?" Numair asked, not knowing how much that question pained Daine.  
  
Her breath caught painfully in her throat, causing her to gasp unintentionally. Numair's eyes snapped immediately to hers, a slight look of worry hidden behind them. He, of course, hadn't missed her strange manner, and was determined to find what was going on. "N-nothing, Numair," Daine answered lamely, frantically searching her mind for an excuse. She wasn't ready to tell him, and she hoped he wouldn't press the subject. "He was just checking with me to see if I planned to check the stables today."  
  
Numair raised an accusing eye brow, making it obvious that he didn't by any means buy her excuse. "Shall we eat?" Daine asked, pulling uncomfortably out of his grip. She felt so wrong leading him on like that. She'd only kept this secret from him for a few minutes and yet it felt as though she'd been at it for years at a time.   
  
Daine had intentionally changed the subject to that of the food, hoping to divert him. It didn't work as well as she'd hoped however, for his reply came in a tone that further revealed his lack of belief in her explanation. "Of course," he said, moving to walk before her, and charmingly pulling out her chair for her. She forced a smile at him, for his sake, hoping that it would make things more believable. If he noticed her fake sense of happiness, he didn't show anymore signs of it. Daine still didn't underestimate him for a moment.  
  
Numair had brought back a bowl filled with porridge for each of them, along with a large plate filled with eggs and sausages. As Numair went to take his seat across from Daine, he couldn't help but notice that she had made no move to touch her food. She was acting different just now, as if something big was on her mind. Though he didn't know it, his suspicions were very much correct and he could never imagine just how badly it was hurting her. "Aren't you hungry? You haven't touched your food at all," Numair asked after the moments of silence went on for some time. He'd already started to devour his eggs, but she'd left her plate untouched. Her eyes were transfixed on him, her face bearing an odd expression. As soon as he paid any notice of her, she flinched and looked away quickly. That had done it for him. He would beat around the bush no longer. "Daine, are you sure you're all right? You're acting strange."  
  
"I'm fine, Numair!" Daine said quickly, still refusing to meet his gaze. Numair stood up and went to her side of the table, taking her hands in his.  
  
"Are you sure, sweet?" he asked again, eyes filled with loving worry for her. This was a man who genuinely cared for her.  
  
"Yes," Daine replied shakily, completely unsure of herself. Deep down, she knew she was far from all right, but she couldn't bear to tell him that now. Seeking some sort of assurance and a way to distract Numair from her current state, Daine stood on the tips of her toes and tilted her head to kiss him. He didn't seem to mind her distraction, for he met her half way, catching on to her intentions. He pulled her tightly in his arms, and drew her to his chest. She seemed to melt into him. As their kiss went on, Numair could sense some sort of foreign longing in her, a hunger. He could tell for sure now that something was definitely wrong. In an attempt to comfort her, he deepened the kiss, snaking his arms lovingly around her waste. He felt Daine respond by holding tight to his neck, burying her fingers in his hair.  
  
Suddenly, without warning, Daine jerked away, leaving Numair breathless. She too fought for breath, but her features still clearly showed the worry she felt. "What's wrong?" Numair asked, gasping as he contained himself from the passionate kiss they'd just shared.  
  
Daine couldn't hold back her tears any longer. They burst free in an instant, making her feel as if a heavy burden was slowly being released. She suddenly sought the reassurance of his arms around her. She snuggled in tighter to his chest, burying her face in him. Her crying didn't cease, even slightly. Numair, shocked by her sudden outburst, held her close, rocking her back and forth in his arms. He began murmuring softly into her hair, hoping he wasn't the cause of her distress. "Sweet, what's wrong?" he asked softly, letting his voice hold reassurance. For the first time since Daine had received the news from Jon, she felt safe. She felt as if nothing could ever take her away as she cuddled close to her love and felt his arms grasp tightly around her.  
  
"Numair-" She sobbed now, unable to choke out more than one word for her tears had become more violent. He pulled her even closer, if possible, lightly stroking her cheek.  
  
"Shhhh," he soothed, "I'm here for you. Tell me what's wrong, Daine."  
  
"I-I'm leaving you!" she finally choked out, gasping when she had finished. Her crying became more insistent, but Numair misunderstood her words.  
  
"Daine, this isn't the first time Jon's sent you on a mission for the Crown and I haven't gone," Numair continued to soothe her, not knowing how wrong he was on the way he had taken her words. "You'll be back soon and I'll be here waiting."  
  
"No, I won't be back!" she sobbed, and suddenly he froze, a sudden fear overtaking him.  
  
"W-what does that mean?" he stuttered, hoping he'd heard her wrong. The thought of her leaving and not coming back terrified him.  
  
Daine lifted her face from his chest and looked him directly in the eye. She saw a sudden fear in his eyes, such a fear she had never seen in him before. She felt that she must settle down, if not for herself then for him. She had to stay calm, to make things easier for Numair. Taking a deep breath, Daine forced back her tears, trying her best to hold a steady face."Numair-"  
  
"Daine," Numair interrupted quickly, voice hushed and worried, "Are you trying to tell me you want this to be over?"   
  
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A/N: Hehehe....cliffy, cliffy, cliffy! Please let me apologize again for taking so long to update, but, as you can see this is a considerably long chapter.....please review if you want this cliffy taken care of properly and also tell me what you'd like to see! Who knows.....I just might listen! ^_^ 


	14. Unwanted News

A/N:Now....its FINALLY time for me to fix that cliffy I left last chapter....I'd apologize for leaving it in the first place, but I'm not sorry so that would be lying and lying is wrong....hehe...R/R people!  
  
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"Daine," Numair interrupted quickly, voice hushed and worried, "Are you trying to tell me you want this to be over?"   
  
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Numair ran a nervous hand through his mass of hair, succeeding only in messing it up. Daine watched his movements and listened intently to his words and knew that she'd best explain things to him in more detail. "You'd better have a seat," Daine said, reaching up a delicate hand to wipe away the tear that was forming in his eye. He looked slightly more assured. Her manner and attitude was grim, still making him wonder. "I'd best explain myself better."  
  
"I must admit to some confusion," Numair's tone was hesitant, as if he were trying to stay calm in a tense setting. Daine knew this news would hit him every bit as hard as it had hit her. After all, he was her new fiancee!   
  
Numair did as she had suggested, and made a move toward the couch. She followed suit, and took the place next to him. She pressed her body against his, and felt him tense up in response."What changed your mind?" Numair asked after a moment of this, not letting down his nerves in the slightest. He emitted a light, almost chilling chuckle, shaking his head as he did. It was not by any means a happy gesture, but a sad and possibly confused one. "Is it something I did?" His last comment was made with a shaky voice, one that was close to tears. She could see his eyes glimmering in the light, watering up. She knew that she herself was doing much the same.   
  
Daine fought not to cry as she moved on to her explanation. She had to stay calm, stay strong. If not for herself, then for him she had to. He seemed scared enough without her own feelings bearing down upon him. He need not carry her burden as well as his own. "No," Daine said quietly, placing a hand lightly on his knee. He flinched at this, causing Daine to swallow hard. "No, that's not it at all. I haven't a choice."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Numair said suddenly, eyes alert. He seemed beyond mere curiosity, by this point. His mind was demanding that he know what this was about. His naturally protective nature towards her began showing very clearly. Daine's heart twisted painfully at the mere idea of what she was about to say.  
  
"Numair, when Jon called me to see him this morning-"Daine fought for the right words to come to her mind, but found this an impossible task to carry out. Everything was so confusing right now, nothing appeared to be right. It was hard to imagine how innocent and nieve she held felt just mere hours ago, when she had risen. She would give anything in the world just now, to go back to that time, to make all of this nightmare she was living suddenly fade from existence.  
  
"What in the name of Mithros has Jon got to do with you leaving me?!" Numair burst out suddenly, letting his anger, confusion, and hurt come fuming out. He stood to his feet as he said this words, standing to pace. He couldn't bear to look down at her, for she was the cause of this immense pain he felt. He felt betrayal and heartbreak, never a comforting mixture. He wanted to cry out as if he had a thousand physical wounds covering his body. This pain was worse; it was indescribable.  
  
Immediately after Numair's harsh reaction, Daine burst into tears, seeking comfort in the man she loved and finding none. In her fight for hope she threw her face into her hands, a sign of defeat. Tears leaked out of her eyes like a fast flowing river, making Numair feel a pang of guilt. Suddenly, he regretted his action knowing that he was very much still in love with her, even if she didn't return his affections. Gently, he reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. He had expected her to shrug it off, but it was as if she wanted her whole body to melt into him just by that simple touch. "Numair, I'm so sorry!" She choked out in-between sobs, wanting desperately for him to forgive her.  
  
"Sweet, no," his voice was tender and gentle, trying his best to rectify his previous actions. Numair moved closer to her and again took his seat beside her. In this time he did not break the contact of his hand on her shoulder, not wanting to disturb her further. All of these simple gestures were paining him beyond all comprehension, for he had the wrong idea of this whole business all together. His view of it was that she was trying to tell him it was over between them, that she no longer returned his affections. That was enough to tear his heart apart, piece by piece. "Its me who should be sorry. I shouldn't have acted so harshly. If you don't want this anymore, then I should just accept that."  
  
"Numair, you don't understand," Daine said quietly, tears still pouring steadily down her face.  
  
"Then explain it to me," Numair's eyes pleaded with her to make things clearer. She knew she owed this to him, she knew that he needed to understand, but it was something that at the moment felt like a thorn in her side. She was so scared, perhaps more so than she'd ever been in her life. She didn't want to talk about it, she wanted to forget it. "Haven't I at least got the right to know why the woman I love more than anything suddenly wants to end our relationship?" Tears were starting to form slightly in his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Daine admitted, reaching out and once again placing a hand on his shoulder. It was amazing how just this simple hold on his arm could give her enough reassurance to tell him her news. "Gods, I love you so much!" She let out a light moan, one that twisted Numair's heart as the sound filled his ears. He couldn't understand what could have distressed her so, when, only little more than an hour ago she had been as cheerful as ever.  
  
"Then tell me why you are so intent on leaving me!" Numair was becoming more frustrated once again, and his tone showed it. Daine shivered slightly, wishing this could all just be over.  
  
"I'm not, can't you see that?!" Daine too had turned to a harsher tone, not knowing what else to do, and feeling slightly offended that Numair thought she wanted things to happen this way. "Its not as if I have any choice in the matter!"  
  
"Why don't you?! You're a free human being who can go where you please!" Numair was getting angry again, though not necessarily at Daine. He didn't know who he was angry with, or why. He just felt it. It was like a horrible pulling at his heart. It tugged roughly at all his senses and created a knot in his throat.  
  
"That's what I would have thought, but I guess I was fair wrong about that!" Daine was near to yelling at this point, angry with him for being so harsh towards her. Couldn't he see what turmoil her mind was in?   
  
"What you're saying doesn't make a copper's worth of sense to me, Daine!" Numair's eyes were begin to leak, a single tear sliding down his face. His frustration had gotten to him, pushing him too far. Tenderly, Daine reached out a hand and wiped the tear away. She lightly ran her finger across his face, letting it slid under his chin. In this moment her eyes met his, a look of pure sadness written on each. They gazed into the other's eyes for some time, searching deep within to find the answers they so desperately sought.   
  
As Numair looked deep into his lover's blue gray eyes, he wanted nothing more than to bring his lips gently over hers, kissing her. This was no time to do such a thing, and it chilled him to think that there might possibly not be another time. "Jon is sending me back to Galla!" Daine blurted out all at once, not knowing where the sudden burst of courage had come from. Numair's eyes grew wide for a moment, his lips parted open slightly. He swiftly brought one of his large hands up to gently massage his forehead. His eyes blazed thoughtfully, leaving Daine to wonder how he had taken it.  
  
"What?" It was as if he needed to hear it once more, in order to fully believe it. His eyes looked hollow and worried. Daine leaned in closer to him, tucking her head safely under his chin and resting her head against his chest. He felt slightly tense at this, and she knew very well why. She'd put him through a lot this morning. First she'd unintentionally led him to think that she no longer wished to marry him after she'd only just accepted his proposal the night before. After that, she had had to tell him the real meaning behind it all, and reveal to him why she was so distressed. She had told him point blank that he was going to lose her, and soon.  
  
"Jon called me to his study this morning, to tell me that I've got to be sent back to Galla," Daine repeated her statement, her voice holding slightly more of a sense of calmness than before. She shifted her position in his arms slightly so that she could see his face. It held a look of pure horror and disbelief.  
  
Numair shook his head and blinked furiously, trying to let the news sink in. It burned his insides, twisting his heart painfully. If anything, the knot in his throat only grew bigger, uncomfortably. "That can't be true! He can't do that!" Numair voiced, suddenly enraged. If he had been angry before, it had been different. Even when he was angry with Daine, he somehow always managed to keep a firm hold on his temper. When it dealt more with another of his friends, he would become livid with anger. Being that he was the most powerful mage in the realm, he wasn't one to cross.  
  
Daine burst into tears once again, clinging tightly to him. She gripped his shirt protectively between her fingers, soaking it with her tears. She felt his arms swing around her shoulders, pulling her all the more close. He held her tightly against her chest, afraid to let her go. She could feel his face resting in her mass of hair as tears leaked from his eyes, making her hair damp. Daine could only remember feeling so distressed at one, possibly two other times in her life. One of those times was when she had been only twelve years old and she had been forced to pull the clumps of arrows out of her own mother's corpse. The second time had been when she'd stood in the secret passage under the palace in Carthak and Kaddar had told her that Numair had been executed. Daine felt that same pain now, but in a different way. It seemed almost as if she herself had been given the death sentence. She couldn't even begin to imagine being ripped away from the home she knew so well and loved just as much. Her friends, she couldn't leave them! They were a part of her, like a family. Numair especially was one she couldn't bear to leave behind. He was the love of her life, something she'd never dreamed she'd find. He'd given her so much, sacrificed so much just for her. She knew that he returned her affections in full, if not more so. He was her fiancee, and she couldn't leave him.  
  
Daine wearily lifted her head from the nape of her lover's neck, eyes tear stained. Numair, upon feeling her move to sit up, made no move to do so himself. Feeling as if he'd been run over by a thousand wagons towed by only the largest of horses, he let his head hang in despair. Daine gazed at his form, longing to lift up his chin, so that she could see his wondrous dark eyes. It was as if he had heard her unspoken wish and granted it, for at that exact moment, he lifted his head to look at her. He stared at her intently, seeming content just to see her gazing back. His lips twisted into a slight smile, a pitiful one. Tenderly, he reacher out a hand and stroked her cheek. Feeling her flush, he let his hand slide down and across her face in a diagonal pattern until it fell into place in her strands of smoky brown hair.   
  
"What are we going to do?" Daine cried, throwing herself against his chest once again. He gratefully accepted her, taking in the feel of her body against his. He tightened his hold on her, shifting his own position until he felt comfortable. Tears still leaked from his dark eyes, falling down his face and soaking the collar of his black silk shirt.  
  
"Not us, sweet," Numair said with a false calmness. He reached up to his face with his spare hand and hastily wiped away the newly shed tears. "It isn't our place to stop this, but Jon's."  
  
"He won't," Daine wasn't going to give herself any sense of false hope. She'd been in a similar setting as this before, one where she'd been equally frightened. At that time, she'd believed that things wouldn't fall out in the direction that they seemed to be headed. She remembered clearly the feeling of watching her own hopes and dreams crumble before her. She didn't want to feel anything like that again.  
  
"He will," Numair seemed sure of it, so sure that he would bet his life on it. Indeed he would if it were to come to that, for he was perhaps as stubborn as Daine when the time came. Though he was always one to brag about having a sensible mind, he was in fact far from such things during times of peril. He thought hastily, and many a time it paid off for the mage, but other times it did not. It was much like gambling. "By the gods, I'll make him!"  
  
Numair made a move to stand, but Daine refused to remove her body from his lap. Tenderly, despite his anger at the circumstances, Numair placed a hand behind her head, gently stroking her hair. "Daine, please, let me go talk with him," Numair pleaded, knowing that it was the only way he'd be able to live with himself. There was a part of him that already knew that no matter what his argument was, he would be rejected. There was another side of him though, a side that refused to give up hope so soon. In the end, it was this side that won his mind over. "I can't just sit back and watch this happen to you, to us!"  
  
"You think I don't hate it every bit as much as you do?" Daine was once again sobbing, far passed merely shedding a few tears. Her mind was in such peril just now, her thoughts jumbled. Too many things had happened far too soon and far too close to one another for her to emotionally grasp and accept it all. She had allowed herself to fall deeply in love with someone, and then moved a step further by agreeing to marry him. She'd made herself vulnerable for heartbreak in doing so, and now she was faced with it. She would have to leave him. There would be no wedding. "You don't know what a big step it was for me to become engaged to you."  
  
Again Numair's eyes began to water as he was once again reminded of their engagement, and of the wedding that might possibly never come. Slicking his hair back nervously, in an attempt to hold back his threatening tears, Numair said, "If you think I don't realize that, then you must not realize what it was for me to even propose to you. Daine, I've never loved someone like I love you. I've never been loved back like you love me. This is as new for me as it is new for you. I can't stand for it to slip away. I'll die first!"  
  
This time Numair didn't wait for a response from Daine. He rose from where he sat, careful that when Daine slid off his lap that she landed softly on the couch where they had been sitting."I love you," was all he said. As far as Daine was concerned, he had no need to say more. His words explained his reasons for his actions, and Daine knew that it wasn't her place to stop him. "Try to keep a hold of yourself while I'm away. I'll be back as soon as I'm finished with Jon." Now there was nothing left for Daine to do, but sit and wait, her mind heavy with thoughts of her departure.  
  
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Numair's mind was clouded with confusion and anger as he left Daine's chambers and headed out into the hall. He slammed the door behind him, letting his temper get the best of him temporarily. He couldn't think straight. The only thought that would drift through his mind just now was what he would do without her. He'd given his heart to her, and wasn't willing to take that back. He couldn't imagine what he might possibly be able to say to Jon that could fix any of this, but he had to try. He wasn't ready to let go just yet.  
  
He couldn't remember much of the short walk to get to Jon's study. It was as if he was in a daze, a horrible, never ending one at that. There was nothing on his mind, and yet there was everything. He felt as if he was carrying a heavy pack on his back that weighed much more than he himself did. He was afraid. It took a lot for him to admit such a thing to himself, but now there was no denying it. He'd never been so afraid in all of his life.  
  
It didn't take long for Numair to reach the set of rooms he was looking for. He found the oak wood door with a nameplate that read 'King's Study' in shiny gold lettering. Scowling at his king's name, Numair reached out for the brass door knob, he grasped it tightly between his knuckles and turned it. He jerked the door open without bothering to knock and let himself in. He half expected to find Jonathan coming at him in a rage for his rudeness in interrupting him without even a knock or permission to enter, but no such attack came.  
  
Numair drew in a husky breath and let his eyes scan the room for the king. He found him crouched over his desk near the back wall. Jon showed no signs of having noticed Numair's unpermitted entry, which left Numair curious. Feeling venturesome, Numair took a step forward, in the direction on Jonathan. The floor creaked beneath his heavy steps, but still the king showed no signs of acknowledgment. Wanting the king to notice him, for the had to speak, Numair cleared his throat heavily. He bit his lip lightly to be sure he could keep his temper in check, though it would be hard. His calm appearance was a false one, for on the inside he burned with a raging anger.  
  
"I don't recall asking you in, Numair," Jonathan said without looking up from his work. He sat scratching out something that Numair could not make out on a piece of parchment.  
  
"I have a pressing matter to discuss with you, Majesty," Numair spat the name 'Majesty' and made sure that the rest of his words were just as spiteful.  
  
"I know why you're here, and I've been anticipating your arrival from the second Daine ran out," Jonathan voiced, still not turning to look at Numair. He continued with whatever work he was doing, clearing his throat lightly as he did. His mannerism gave Numair the distinct idea that he couldn't care less about what he had done, and wasn't going to bother making it right. Perhaps this was just some sort of act though. Jon was known to never show any of his feelings of weakness or dejection.  
  
"Then you know why I'm upset!" Numair's voice rose to a yell; he was no longer able to keep a hold on his anger. It seeped out of him now, and there was no use bothering to fight it.  
  
"And there isn't anything I can do about it!" Jonathan suddenly rose from his place at his desk and turned to face Numair. His eyes seemed nothing but shallow holes in his head. His face was one of gloom, his blue eyes refusing to sparkle. Dark circles had formed under his eyes and he looked extremely tired. Numair could see clearly the effect the Immortal's war had had on his king, but was it more than that? Could this gloom also be an effect of losing Daine?  
  
"But you're the king!" Numair pressed the subject, refusing to let it drop. He would use any means necessary to get Daine to be able to stay on Tortallan soil.  
  
"And as king, I refuse to send my kingdom into a fierce war that we cannot win!" Jonathan was more than angry now. He'd been fuming since the very moment he had received the letter from Jarlath. Numair's visit was only going to make it worse.  
  
"Don't you think you owe it to her," Numair's volume didn't falter in the slightest, but his tone had changed slightly, making him sound more calm.  
  
"Perhaps I do owe it to her, but I can't help that. This isn't my choice," Jon had stopped his yelling, and was now talking sensibly. The mere thought of the peril and danger his kingdom would be in if he were to refuse Jarlath's demands was unthinkable and frightening.  
  
"You could fix all of this, but you won't!" Numair was breathing heavily, shouting as loudly as he could. "You'd much rather take her life away! She loves Tortall, Jon! After all she's done for you, and for Tortall, how could you abandon her in her time of need?!"  
  
Jon looked for a brief moment as if he was going to let a tear fall from his eye, but made up for it immediately with a sudden burst of anger. He let his remorse for Daine flow out of him as anger rather than sadness. "And what, Numair, do you propose is better? The life of one or the life of many! Only the gods know how many innocent men, women, and children would be slaughtered in a war with Galla and Scanra combined! Its madness! Daine will still be alive if she is sent to Galla. If she stays and there is a war, she could easily be among the countless who will be slain. You an I both know that she would be directly in the thick of battle!"  
  
Numair hung his head low, bringing his hand up to hide his face. He didn't want Jon to see his suddenly falling tears. It wasn't fair, what was going on. Nothing was right about any of this. No one should have to suffer over this, but either way things went, someone would. Either way, he would have a great probability of losing his magelet, and that was far from being something he desired. "There has to be something you can do," Numair let his lanky form fall into the chair behind him in the center of the room. Jonathan moved to stand over Numair, noting the way his tone was choked as if from crying. Daine must really mean something to this man, he thought sadly.  
  
"I wish that there was," Jon said, letting himself calm down as well. Numair was no longer yelling, so there was no need for Jon to do so. "I'm sorry about all of this, Numair."  
  
"Being sorry is going to keep her here," Numair tried to sound as calm as possible, but was finding this to be a difficult task. Even before he and Daine had confessed their love for one another, Numair was certain he would have very much the same reaction to the news of her returning back to Galla to live against her will. He didn't want Jon to know that they were engaged now. He didn't want anyone to know that they were anything but teacher and student; they were friends. It would be easier on everyone if no one knew about that little detail. They were possibly never going to marry, so that information had little to no value at this point.  
  
"I know she means a lot to you, Numair, but you're going to have to accept that she has to go," Jon did his best to be sympathetic with the man that sat before him. It was no secret that Numair was extremely close to Daine. Jon knew that Numair considered Daine to be as close as a sister, and that Daine felt the same. Out of everyone that Daine had met upon coming to Tortall those six years ago, Numair had been the one she seemed to have grown closest to. They were rarely found apart from the other, especially since their trip to the Divine Realms.  
  
Numair lifted his head from his hands, revealing his tear stained face to Jonathan. Jon drew in a sharp breath, feeling guilty at the site of his friend's face. He looked as if he were a mess, and Jonathan was sure that things were much worse on the inside. There's nothing I can do, Jonathan reminded himself sadly. The two men spent several minutes sitting in silence, staring off into space. Finally, Numair spoke up, tone choked and barely more than a whisper in volume. "I'd best be on my way. I've no business left here," His appearance was ragged as ever, and Jon wished he could do something for his best mage.  
  
"Go talk to her, Numair," Jon advised, hoping that a good long talk between the two friends would be just what they needed. "She needs you now, and you need her. You'll get over all of this."  
  
"That was my intent," Numair said, drying his eyes on the hem of his black robe. In his mind, Numair immediately defied Jonathan's statement that he would someday get over all of this. He knew that it was far from true. With that, the lanky mage rose from where he sat and made his way quietly to the door. He walked in silence back to Daine's chambers.  
  
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A/N: Wow.....I can't believe I finally finished this chapter! Its taken far too long, and I beg your forgiveness......The delay in updating couldn't be helped, and if you must blame someone, then I ask that you blame my teachers! Don't forget to review because you all know that I love reviews and that I won't update if I don't get enough......I promise I'll update soon! Its going to get sadder real soon, but its got to be that way, unfortunately.... Bear with me, please, and I promise you'll get lots of fluff and also some happy times believe it or not...... ^_^ 


	15. False Hope

A/N: Before I start the next chapter, I just thought I'd take this time to answer one of the reviews I got for last chapter because I'm thinking its probably a question many of you had, you just didn't bother asking.....  
  
starrynight04: In answer to your review about Jon, I'll say I have a reason for having him be that way. For one thing, he is under a lot of stress and we all know that stress can make one act harshly. Second of all, he's also sad about what's going to happen to Daine, but he's torn between his good friend and his entire kingdom. That is a lot of pressure to take on and still act the way one should. I hope you understand now.....  
  
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"Daine!" Numair called as he opened the door to her rooms, letting himself in without knocking. He wondered if his love had managed to down any, but he sincerely doubted it. He knew that if during the reign of Ozorne, his old friend, he was sent back to Carthak to live, he would have been a wreck. Not only would he have feared for his life, but he would also have missed his friends he had made upon coming to Tortall. Most off all, he would have missed Daine, for he was just starting to admit his true feelings to himself about her in those times. Yes, things would have been every bit as hard for him. He didn't even want to think about what this was doing to her.  
  
There was no answer to his call, and he felt his heart beginning to beat all that much faster. His eyes grew in panic as he hurried his steps into the main room. His love was no where to be found there, and that about did him in. He began thinking the worst, wondering if she hadn't gone and done something drastic. "Daine!" He called again, this time his voice frantic.  
  
It was upon voicing this last call, Numair heard a faint crying coming from Daine's bed chamber. He sighed in slight relief, now having the knowledge as to where she was, and that she was safe. He was not completely at ease however, for there was still the knowledge that Daine was an emotional mess. He felt such pain for her, knowing that she was burdened greatly with sadness and possibly fear. Then there was his own thoughts on the matter to consider. When all was said and done, he was every bit as afraid and worried as she was, if not more. For the most part, he would deny it, but on the inside he knew very well that he was overprotective of his Daine. He had every reason to be. She had a knack for attracting trouble, being a daughter of a god. He was more than attached to her now; his very existence depended on her well being. He couldn't imagine what life was going to be like without her.  
  
Numair made his way from the main chamber of Daine's rooms to her bed chamber. He didn't bother knocking on her door, but instead let himself in on his own. Upon entering, he found Daine just where he'd expected her to be, sprawled out on her bed. Quiet as a mouse, Numair sat down on the edge of the bed, watching intently as she cried with her face buried in her pillow. He felt his heart twisting painfully at the site before him, but pushed all of his own worries out of his mind, knowing that it was best for the both of them if he could be strong and help Daine not to worry about any of this. He had to convince himself, and also Daine that they would find a way out of this ordeal; they would make it through it, together.  
  
Tenderly, Numair reached out a hand and placed it on the shoulder closest ti him. He let himself fall back onto the bed so that he was lying next to her. "Shhhh," he soothed, drawing circles lightly on her back with his free hand, "Its going to be all right." Without warning and against his will, a small tear trickled down his face. Just as more threatened to fall, he pushed them back with force. I have to be the strong one, he reminded himself. If he panicked and showed his pain and fear, it would affect her more than anything. He didn't want to hurt her any further than what she was already going through.  
  
"Numair?" she sobbed, voice muffled by her pillow. Realizing that he would have a hard time understanding her, she lifted her face to turn and look at him. She turned to gaze into his eyes, and found that he held a calm face. She saw further than that though. Daine could see in his eyes that the face he held now was nothing but a mask, hiding his true feelings.   
  
"I'm here, sweet," came his voice once more. It looked to Daine as though his lips barely moved. Daine could see on his cheeks where his dried tears had been, and she could also see a few new ones. He was indeed in immense pain.  
  
Instinctively, Daine scooted closer to her fiancee, allowing him to pull her ever so gently into the circle of his arms. She tucked her head securely in the nape of his neck, as he let his lips rest in her hair. His tense muscles and strong grip on her shoulders revealed his protective manner, and also his unwillingness to let her go so soon. "W-what did Jon say?" Daine asked after several moments had passes. She felt Numair cringe slightly against her weight as he heard her voice this question. This only brought further worry to Daine, knowing that it can't have been good. If there had been good news to tell, it would have been told in a great rush, and he wouldn't have hesitated.  
  
"There's nothing he can do," Numair said quietly, afraid of the words as he voiced them. He hated those words. He had always believed that in every situation, there was a way out. It didn't seem to be the case this time, for if the king could do nothing, then who possessed the power to overrule that? I won't give up hope, he thought quickly, trying to be strong.  
  
Fresh tears leaked from Daine's eyes at his news. She knew that it was over for her. She could no longer live in Tortall, the only place she could fully consider home. Though she had been born and raised in Galla, she had always hated it there. It was no home to her, nor were its people her friends.  
  
Daine could feel Numair's breathing become sharper, and his body tense. She could feel him trembling lightly, and she soon realized that he was crying. It was then that her tears stopped flowing, and she pulled herself out of his arms to look at him. Tears were pouring freely down his face, more so than she'd seen when she'd told him the news to begin with. "Oh gods," she whispered lightly, voice choked from crying. She reached out a gentle hand and tenderly stroked his cheek, causing his eyes to dart open, long lashes fluttering.   
  
Numair jerked his head up immediately, hastily wiping his eyes with his sleeve. I can't let her see me like this, was all he could think. Panicked at what she might think, Numair fought away his tears, but found it to be a lost cause. It was something that just wasn't going to happen. He couldn't stop his tears from flowing. "Daine...." His voice was hushed and breathless. He took her hand in both of his large ones and squeezed it tight. Gently, he placed a hand behind her head and pulled her down and back into his arms. He needed to hold her, feel her in the circle of his arms. He let his fingers run through her hair, and down every inch of her back. He wanted to memorize every inch of her, to keep with him forever. "I love you."  
  
Daine drew in a sharp breath at his words, wincing with pain. Perhaps things would be easier for her if she had nothing to leave behind. Here, she had everything to leave behind. Almost everything she'd ever truly loved or treasured was here in Tortall, and she was about to lose it, possibly forever. "I love you too," she replied meekly, meaning every word as if that were the last time she'd utter them. Maybe I love him too much, she thought sadly, knowing that he was what she would miss the most about this strange country she had grown to love so much. It was hard to believe that her time here was over. She'd always thought she would live here until her death, maybe even start a family in the mean time. "What are we going to do?" Daine asked quietly, through her tears.  
  
"Graveyard Hag, I don't know," Numair swore to the personal goddess of his old home, Carthak. He brought his spare hand shakily up to his face, brushing his hair back nervously with it. He was trembling all over; he could feel it.  
  
Suddenly, through her tears, Daine remembered something she'd heard Numair telling her just over three years ago when he was teaching her about the basic law of Tortall. She remembered being bored stiff, and insisting to her teacher that she would never find any use for these things. Now, her ears ringed in sudden alarm at the remembrance of a particular part of the law he had discussed with her. During this brief study of the law, Daine could remember Numair telling her about different ways one could bind themselves permanently to a country or place. If Daine remembered correctly, then she could have sworn he had mentioned something about marriage being among those ways. "Numair!" Daine all but screamed as she jerked herself quickly from his arms, eyes wide. He looked shocked at her sudden outburst, to say the least.  
  
"What? What is it, Daine?" He voiced, shocked. His eyes bore a look of utmost bewilderment.  
  
"Numair, do you remember that time you forced me into letting you give me a week's worth of lessons on Tortallan law and customs?" Daine's voice was rushed from her excitement. If things played out the way she was thinking, she might not have to leave Tortall after all! In her mind, she silently prayed to every god and goddess she could think of that this would be her escape.  
  
"Yes, but Daine, what in the name of Mithros, Minos and Shakith does that have to do with you leaving?" Numair asked, as bewildered as ever. He seemed a little hurt that she was suddenly passed her stage of grief, but suddenly grew hopeful when he realized that she must have suddenly come up with some sort of idea as to what to do. He felt his heart beating faster than ever, waiting for her to voice what she was thinking.  
  
"It has everything to do with it!" She said excitedly. Though she failed to notice it, she had let herself slip as she fell into letting herself get her hopes up. "Didn't you tell me once, that marriage was one of the few ways to permanently bind yourself to a country?"  
  
Numair's eyes lit up in sudden recognition. "By the gods, you're right!" He voiced, eyes alight with joy. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" Without warning, he drew her into a tight hug, crushing her effortlessly against his chest. He tipped her chin up with his spare hand so that she was looking up into his face. He kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose, showing a faint hope in his eyes. Daine could still visibly see the dry tears on his face that he had shed upon hearing her news. She felt her heart warm up pleasantly when she found that he had grown a hope. Perhaps it would be safe if she too, allowed herself to step that far. "Daine, I'll be right back," Numair voiced, sounding triumphant, "I need to check through some of my private books!"   
  
Numair hurriedly pecked her cheek with a kiss before throwing his legs over the side of the bed and close to running out of the room. Daine could hear the door to her main chamber slam shut as he exited her rooms entirely. She sighed, hoping beyond all hope that he would prove their theory to be true. This could very well be the breech in the rules they were hoping so dearly for. 'Please, Goddess, grant me this one wish!' Daine prayed silently to the Goddess who had helped her good friend Alanna all those years ago when Alanna was still on her way to earning her shield. Perhaps she'll grant me a boone as well, Daine though, cheering up slightly. It was impossible in a time like this to be fully cheerful, and she hoped she hadn't let herself stray too far.  
  
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Daine hadn't moved from where she lay in her room when she once more heard the sound of the door to her main chamber open in a frenzy and the sound of rushed footsteps heading for her bed chamber. She, of course, knew it was Numair, and her heart thudded madly within her chest, knowing that this would be the moment that her fate was decided. There would be no other way out, of that she was sure.  
  
As soon as he'd opened the door to her bed chamber, Daine didn't even give him time to join her on the bed before she voiced what was on her mind. "What did you find? Were we right?" Her voice was frantic and worried, all of her emotions showing clearly.  
  
"Give me a moment, magelet," Numair said softly as he sat down a stack of books on the foot of her bed. They all seemed to be volumes of the same book, which she suspected to be law. "I haven't even stopped to look through any of these." Daine could sense the fear in his voice, and it wasn't far from her own. They were both too frightened to hope, knowing how crushed they would be if they found their hopes to be in vain.  
  
Numair quickly flipped open the book on the top of his stack, turning frantically through the pages, as if any second Daine would slip from his grasp. Daine sat on her stomach, feet stretched out behind her and her upper body resting on her elbows, watching him with a longing in her blue gray eyes. His first book yielded no results, causing Daine's heart to fall slightly. There are still more books in his stack, Daine kept reminding herself, hoping that the gods were on her side this day.  
  
Finally, Daine watching in painful anticipation as Numair found the section he had been looking for. Her eyes grew wide, and her breaths more sharp and quick. She felt her heart plummet when she say his response to what he read. She didn't even need to ask him. She watched in horror as he let out a cry of despair and threw the book he had been reading roughly against the wall, splitting its binding. She felt a tear slide down her face and her heard continue falling until she felt she could fall no more. Without hesitating, she flung herself towards him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. His back was to her, but as he felt her arms fall around him, he turned his body to face her, pulling her up closer to him. As her cheek rubbed against his face, he could feel the fresh tears falling and he felt a pang of guilt. He'd gotten her hopes up, and had crushed her on top of everything else. He felt like a monster for doing such a thing. "Shhh," he soothed, rubbing circles on her back with his hand as he had done before. "We'll work this out. I promise you I'll do everything in my power to stop all of this. I'm not losing you without a fight."  
  
If Daine was reassured by these words, she showed no sign of it. If anything, her tears only fell faster and harder, her sobs increasing. She felt the knot in her throat grow painfully large to the point that she felt like choking. She clung tightly to him, clutching his shirt possessively. "They can't take me!" she began wailing, letting her fears leak out. Numair felt every ounce of her pain, and did his best to hold himself together for her sake. "We were supposed to marry, have a family. What happened to that?"  
  
"Its not over yet," Numair sounded confident, but on the inside he couldn't be any less confident. Though he meant every word about putting up a fight, deep down, he knew it would be in vain. There wasn't anything within the law that he could do to stop them from being separated.  
  
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As the sun rose to the middle of the sky and midday approached, Daine felt no better about her circumstances. She felt as if a part of herself was slowly being cut away from her, tugging and thrashing painfully. She wanted desperately to reach out and stop this unknown force, but there was nothing she could do about it. If there was one thing in life she hated most, it was being helpless. She was used to having control over her life and what went on it. She had been known to stand up to a god, at a times! It was so foreign to her, to be helpless in a situation such as this. She had always been the dictator of her life that commanded herself, and herself alone where to go and when. Now, she had no control over that, and it irked her beyond all understanding.  
  
Thoughts and memories of her times in Galla were floating eerily through her mind, allowing her no peace. She could see herself as a child, walking through the village and receiving glares from those she passed. When she was passed them, they would bring a finger to their chest and make the sign against evil, as if she were some sort of omen to be feared. Daine couldn't bear to return to that, and would do anything she could to keep from doing so. They would cage her, just as they had before. She hated them, hated them all. They had killed her mother, her grandfather, her childhood, and had been close to killing her spirit and herself all together. If it wasn't for circumstance and the favor of the gods, Daine could easily be dead or insanely roaming the forests of Galla in the form of a wolf to this very day.  
  
Daine lifted her head slowly from her lover's chest. His arms were still entwined around her waste, holding her protectively. For the past hour and a half, the two lovers had been completely silent, feeling it was a time that needed no words. They were both taking their time to let the shocking news soak in, and their minds travel to what this would mean to them and their relationship.  
  
Numair, who had been staring intently out of the bed chamber window, snapped back to reality when he felt Daine begin to lift herself from his grasp. He loosened his hold on her, and shifted his weight so that she could move to her desired position. Once she was sitting up, she leaned back to rest on the wall her bed was lined against. She turned to look at Numair, only to find that he was already looking towards her. His face was covered with dry tears, his eyes red from crying. Daine's appearance was much the same, if not more so. It hurt Numair to see her in such a state.  
  
"Numair, I need to go for a walk," Daine said half heartedly. She sat up once more, looking at him to see what he would say. She needed to get out, get some fresh air. She was in a horrible state of mind just now, and she was afraid. She was scared of returning to that gods cursed place, and she needed some time to think about what fate had brought her.  
  
"Shall I accompany you?" He asked, looking intently and lovingly at her. Deep within, Daine could see his worry for her. He knew she was afraid, for he could feel it about her. He had always been able to read her like a book, much better than anyone else she'd ever met. Though he had never been able to completely know what she was about, he did know more than most, and that was something.  
  
"No," She said quickly, feeling a pang of guilt when she saw him wince. He looked more than just slightly hurt at her words, and seemed to be taking it as a rejection of a sort. She wanted him with her, she truly did, but she also felt a dire need to be alone for a while. She needed to think. A life changing event had taken place today, and she needed to let the mere thought of it all soak in. "I-I just need to be alone, maybe talk to some of the People."  
  
"I understand," Daine might not have the Gift, but she could tell that he was lying. She could feel it radiating off of him, and it was as plain as day. She reached out a hand, and placed it on his shoulder. He drew her closer for a moment, close enough for her to feel his every breath on her face. Their noses were close to touching, and Daine felt her heart beating much faster than before. Once again, just as she had so many times since she had returned from the Divine Realms, Daine felt that same strange excitement flowing through her veins like wild fire. It made her catch her breath as her breathing became raspy and breathless.  
  
Daine looked into his eyes, and saw a sort of longing, and she felt a dire need to kiss him. She knew he wanted to kiss her, but he seemed to be restraining himself. His eyes held a hesitant look, which confused Daine slightly. He had never been hesitant to simply kiss her before. As if under a spell, Daine leaned closer to him, snaking her arm lovingly around his neck to rest in his horse tail. She pushed his head forward, closing the short distance between each of their faces. His lips were on hers in a breathless instant, kissing her for all he was worth. All of his hesitation from a moment before, melted away to nothing as the kiss went on, growing more passionate by the second.  
  
Numair removed his lips hastily to draw in air, but was back before Daine had time to even acknowledge that he had removed his mouth from hers. Now, he seemed insistent, unable to let her go. Daine could understand this, for she was feeling the same. She felt as if this would be that last time she would kiss him. She had no idea how much time she had left in Tortall before she was to be taken back to Galla. If truth be told, she didn't want to know. She wanted to make the very best out of every second that she had left, treating each moment as if it were her last.  
  
Each with their body crushed against the other, went on into the passion, letting themselves get lost in the other. Though through silent agreement, each knew it would go no farther than kissing, they went on, oblivious to their surroundings. Numair rolled over so that he was on top of her, pressing their bodies even closer together. Daine let her arms slide down from his neck, to fall around his waste. She held onto him tightly, unwilling to let him go.  
  
Finally, long past the lunch bell and just as sundown drew near, the two managed to let go of one another long enough to speak. Daine still, despite recent events, felt she needed some time alone, to reflect in her mind what was going to happen to her. She was scared, of that she was sure, and she needed time to let it all sink in properly. She hated to leave him just now, when she knew he was just as distressed as she, but she also knew it was for the best. He too, deserved some time to think and soak in the details of Jon's words, and those of the letter from Galla. Somehow, she got the idea that Numair had not yet fully accepted what was to come, and it worried her to think of how hard it would be when the actual day of her departure came. Daine was very unsure of how she herself would react when that day did come. It would be a hard task for her to willingly ride off with the Gallan company to go back to her birth place.  
  
"Numair, I really need to go now," Daine's voice came out pleadingly, letting him know that she was truly sorry for this interruption, but also letting him know that it was necessary. He nodded, breathing heavily to regain the breath he'd lost during their passionate kissing of moments before.  
  
"Daine, I'll be back in my rooms for when you get back. Please don't leave me long. I don't think I could take it," He sounded truly distressed, and Daine could see a large mixture of emotions shining in his eyes. He was angry, confused, but most of all, he was sad. She kissed him swiftly one last time, letting her lips linger for a moment. She pulled away hastily, rising up from her bed.  
  
"Don't worry," Daine replied, voice choked," I won't be too long. I need to be with you, now more than ever. Just, while I'm gone, take some time to think about what is going to happen. We both need it."  
  
Numair nodded, not at all liking the idea, but knowing it was a good one and in his best interest. He watched as she threw her legs over the side of the bed and rose to her feet. She went to the ceramic water basin and splashed water onto her face, wiping away the remains of her tears. She would do her best to cry no more, but already knew her efforts would be in vain. She looked back at her love one last time, her eyes meeting his instantly. They held eye contact for a mere moment before she turned on her heel and headed out of her bed chamber, and from there out of her room all together.  
  
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A/N: Well, I'm sorry to tell you not to expect another chapter from me for at least another week to two weeks....I have finals scattered all over the place next week, and it only gets worse after that! So, I'll try to hurry and post again ASAP, but you can forget me EVER updating again if I don't get a good amount of reviews! So, REVIEW!! ^_^ 


	16. Confusion And Distress

A/N: Hey everyone.....  
  
Just to answer a few questions I received, I'd like to say that this fic will have a fluffy, happy(to some extent) ending! Now, I'll leave you to figure out how that works, even though I already know....I'm not going to tell you how, so you'll just have to guess for now. Also, one of you asked how long this is going to be, and I'd like at least 40 chapters, but who knows? I could be higher, it could be lower...I don't know for sure.....  
  
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As Daine left her room and Numair behind her, she knew exactly where she was headed. When she was having a problem with anything, anything at all, she always knew one 'person' she could turn to, and that was her temperamental mare, Cloud. Cloud had always been there for Daine, though not always by choice. The mare had even kept Daine from sure insanity once or twice. Daine needed her now, more than she ever had before. She needed a shoulder to cry on, and someone to lend her horse sense. Cloud was just the one she needed.  
  
Daine walked swiftly down the halls, trying her best not to show her state of distress. She wasn't ready to talk to any of her friends about what was to happen to her just yet, that is, except for Numair. Daine knew that she could not have kept this big of a secret from him if she had tried. Without meaning to, he always managed to throw her on a guilt trip whenever she was keeping something from him. Daine supposed that it must be another sign that she had always loved him, since the moment she first met him.  
  
It took Daine little time to find the stables, being that she knew just about every short cut that existed to get there. Being that she was the Wild Mage, she visited the stables often, usually multiple times each day. That meant she was constantly on the same path there, and knew every possible way to reach the stables. It could be fair useful at times, she had found.  
  
As soon as Daine's magic came within range of the stable, she could hear her pony's frantic voice in her head. -I feel your sadness- came Cloud's voice rapidly in Daine's mind -What's wrong?-  
  
Daine managed half of a smile hearing her mount's voice. Cloud always knew when something was wrong with Daine. Daine could never lie the pony, for Cloud would always have a way of knowing. It was a deeper connection that Daine had with Cloud; deeper than any bond Daine had with any other of the People. -Calm down, Cloud. I'll explain in a moment.- Daine could hear the echo of her own voice in her mind, and to her, it seemed to be nothing but melancholy. She knew that her mannerism must be down right depressing, especially since Cloud could feel her emotions radiating off of her. Try as she might, Daine couldn't pull herself together any more than she already had, and she hated herself just now, for being such an emotional mess.  
  
What am I becoming, Daine thought, further distressing herself. She could feel anxiety like she had never known before. The idea of living in Snowsdale had been very different when she had known nothing else. Now, she knew that there was a whole world beyond that biased and magic fearing village. She had always hated the place, but had never before realized that there was more to life than what she had. The villagers of Snowsdale, they had rejected her, told her that she was worthless to the world. It was because of them that Daine's childhood had been little more than just twelve years of never ending torture. It had even gone beyond that, and into the time that she had become an adult. That time had started the very second her mother died, when she must fend for herself. It was then that she had fought for her life, as the same villagers of Snowsdale, hunted her as if she was an animal, with every intent of killing her.  
  
Daine shivered as these thoughts of her past life whizzed through her mind. It was hard to believe she was going back to that. This was definitely not a thought she wanted to be thinking just now, but she couldn't avoid the fact that it was true. She was indeed going to be returning to Galla. She may not be going back to Snowsdale specifically, but over the years, she had learned to despise the entire chunk of land within the borders. I can't go back, she found herself thinking for the umpteenth time that day. She would most definitely have to add this day to her list of days she would never want to relive. It had to be among the worst days of her entire life!  
  
-I was beginning to wonder if you had just forgotten me- Cloud's voice could once again be heard, ringing loudly in Daine's ears. This took Daine slightly by surprise, for she had gotten fair lost in her thoughts on the walk over to the stables. She had forgotten what she had even intended on doing!  
  
-I'm sorry, Cloud- Daine sympathized with her mare -This has been a fair awful day, if you must know-  
  
-Well, I can see that! Would you care to explain yourself?- Cloud retorted through mind speech, letting her snappy nature take control of her actions.  
  
Daine didn't respond to the pony's remarks right away, but instead stopped walking as she approached the stables. She didn't exactly wish to run into Stephan, whom she was sure might be here this time of day. It would probably be best if she used the back entrance and went as quietly as she possibly could. Daine did just that, walking swiftly around to the back side of the stable, and letting herself into the swinging door that awaited her.  
  
The Wild Mage knew this stable well, for it was the one she visited the most often out of all of His Majesty's stables. She had always kept her own mount in this particular one, finding it to be the most comfortable and suitable for Cloud's needs. As if by instinct, Daine made her way through the many rows of stalls, knowing exactly where she would find the one she sought. She went as quietly as a mouse, not wanting to arouse Stephan, whom she suspected was napping in the loft.  
  
Before long, Daine had reached her desired location, and she felt as if a huge burden on her heart was suddenly beginning to flow out. Her eyes began watering with tears, and she did her very best to will the away, push them back. Her efforts were in vain, for soon, a single tear was falling down the side of her face, against her will. It was hard to believe that she even had any tears left unshed after the events of that morning. The only time she had cried more, had been the day she had found her mother and grandfather dead.  
  
-Cloud- Daine called out in her mind as she swung open the door to her mount's stall. Cloud was anxiously awaiting her, pawing the ground to ease her nerves. Daine looked into the eyes of her trusted mare, and by nature threw her arms around her neck. She held Cloud tightly, crying into the mare's chest.  
  
-What happened, Daine?- Cloud's mind voice was gentle and caring, much the contrast of her normal behavior. The mare may very well be temperamental and snappy by nature, but she knew when there was a time to be gentle. She knew Daine as if she were one of her offspring, and she prided herself in that. She would help Daine now, as she had in the past. Cloud could only remember seeing Daine like this once before, and that had been when she had watched Daine roughly pull the cluster full of arrows from her own mother's chest.  
  
-He's sending me back- Even though Daine was not speaking aloud, but simply in her mind, her voice was shaken and raspy from fear. She could not even begin to think straight now; her mind was jumbled, for she was completely confused.  
  
-Daine, if you want my advice, you're going to have to explain yourself- Cloud said, voice still gentle and soothing in Daine's mind. The mare gently nudged her rider, butting her head against Daine's side to get her attention.  
  
-Cloud, I don't know what to do!- Daine found herself crying freely now; she no longer tried to hold back her tears. -The king of Galla is going to declare war on Tortall unless Jonathan sends me back there to live- Daine could barely choke out these words, for she trembled with fear at the thought.  
  
Cloud's reaction to Daine's words was immediate. Her ears pricked forward automatically, signifying her sudden feel of a threat. She snorted, pawing the ground uneasily. -You are a free two legger, Daine. He can't do that- Cloud made her protest openly, unwilling to accept that Daine could find no way out of this fix.  
  
-I'm afraid its more complicated than that- Daine let herself slump down to the ground as she let go of her death grip on Cloud. The mare instantly brought her head down to rub against Daine's shoulder, neighing soothingly to her keeper.  
  
-Storkman isn't going to be pleased- Cloud said after several minutes of complete silence. Daine felt her heart plummet once more at the thought of what she was leaving behind. She was leaving a loving man, one who would do anything to wed her and became her husband.  
  
-Cloud, I told him just last night that I'd marry him. I can't go back on my word. I don't want to go back on my word- Daine had calmed down a great deal, but she felt no different on the inside. When it all boiled down to it, she felt lost. She didn't think anything that anyone said to her now could help her, and she was probably right. No one could possibly understand what she was feeling, no matter how much they claimed to. She was alone, and she would remain alone from now on. Any dreams of a happy and complete life were dead to her now, and would never return.  
  
-Marriage?- Cloud neighed at this remark, almost finding it amusing. -You two leggers allow yourselves to fall into too much commitment. You've been engaged for less than a day, and already it is causing you grief-  
  
-Its not the idea of marrying him that's gotten me into this mess of emotions, and you know it Cloud!- Daine found herself suddenly getting angry. Normally she found Cloud's remarks amusing, but not today and never again. She could no longer stand to hear such jabs toward the man she loved enough to marry, but, would never get to marry.  
  
-My only advice to you, would be to give up being a two legger. You are more People than you are two legger anyway. Try being a pony; I think its fitting- Cloud turned away from Daine, turning to her feeding trough to munch on the oats Stephan had left her earlier that day when Daine hadn't come to visit.  
  
Daine felt a small smile tugging at the edge of her lips. she shook her head ever so slightly, amused by her mare's never ending amount of horse sense. The sad part of it all, was that she knew that what Cloud had just said was the most sensible suggestion she had received all day. Being a horse would free her from all of this. No one could hold her down, if she were no longer a two legger. It would relieve her of a lot of unwanted stress. Daine had always felt connected to the People, so perhaps she should permanently join them. But I can't do that, she reminded herself quickly. She couldn't, for she would be abandoning the man she loved, who would forever be a two legger. He had no strand of People in him, and never would. If she became one of the People, she would be more lost to him than if she returned to Galla forever. Besides, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't one day get the chance to return to Tortall. From what Numair had said to her, he would surely wait for her as long as it would take for her to get that chance.  
  
Daine sat in Cloud's stall for quite some time. She was lost in her own thoughts, lost in time. She was envisioning many things that should be coming in her future, but wouldn't. She could see also things she did not want to see. It was as if her fate was haunting her without rest, and so she received no ease. Daine was oblivious to the passing hours, and to the shouts of the palace crier, announcing the time of day and meal times. So far today, she hadn't eaten a bite of food, and felt a complete loss of appetite. She felt if she attempted to eat a single morsel, she would simply throw it up later.   
  
In the time that Daine spent lost in her thoughts, Cloud moved out of her stall and into the small paddock that it led to. She felt that Daine needed some time to be left alone in her thoughts, and she of course gave her that space. She was worried for her long time friend, hoping that she would be all right. Cloud didn't want Daine to have to leave Tortall and her friends behind. She knew first hand how much Daine had been through in her life before now, and thought that this was an unfair choice of action for the gods to take in Daine's fate. Daine deserved a happy, peaceful life. She had done so much for the gods before, made so many differences in people's lives, that Cloud felt that the gods owed her.  
  
"Daine," came a soft, familiar voice from the front of the stable. She could hear the sound of shuffled foot steps entering the stable along with the sound of the door swinging open and then clicking shut again.  
  
Daine knew that voice well, and she loved it, but just now she felt as if she shouldn't call out to it. She was afraid, once everything was boiled down to it. She could feel herself beginning to shake and tremble against her will. Her lips quivered lightly, making her emotions obvious. She wanted to run out to Numair, and yet she didn't. She loved him so much that it hurt, but that was the problem. The more she was with him now, the more painful it would be to leave once that time came. She knew it would hurt him too, possibly more than it was hurting her. She didn't want that to happen to him.  
  
Without stopping to think, Daine quietly, yet swiftly rose from where she sat crouched in Cloud's stall, and shuffled her way through the open stall door, careful not to make it creek, and thus alert Numair."Daine," She heard his voice call out again, this time more frantically. She knew she had probably worried him, for she had been gone until sundown, and he still hadn't found her. She felt her heart pull in her chest, as if urging her to stay put and allow him to find her. She knew she would find comfort and love in him then, but what would that give her now, aside from temporary satisfaction? The fact was, he would not always be there anymore;he couldn't always be there now. They would be hundreds of miles apart, in two seperate countries, and she would long to be at his side once more. Nothing would be able to quell that longing except having him near her again, and that would be impossible. It would be better for them both, if she learned to be without him now, when he was still in her reach and she in his. It would be hard, and it would hurt her deeply, but in the end, it was for the best for both of them.  
  
"Are you in here, sweet?" Daine tried her best to block out his calling voice, so soft and alluring. It captivated her, made her feel as if she were frozen in time. His voice made her question her actions of retreat, but she hadn't the time for that. She had to get out now if she were to get out at all. She had to retreat somewhere, perhaps her rooms, and push all thoughts of her lover far away. If she was lucky, she might forget him completely.  
  
Without meaning to, Daine lost her footing on a brush that had been carelessly strewn on the stable floor. She fell immediately, landing on the hay scattered floor with a loud and hard impact. It was not until Daine heard his breath catch in his lungs and his breathing become heavy, that she knew she had been found out. He knew now that she was here, and there was no use being quiet about her retreat any longer. Before she even had time to think, she heard his shuffled and frantic foot steps coming up the isle, signifying he had spotted her. "Daine!" She heard him call out to her, as soon as he saw her sprawled on the stable floor. He was at her side immediately, before she had been able to regain her posture and run. She cursed herself now, for being so clumsy as to fall on the brush that had been left on the floor by a stable hand. "Are you all right, Magelet?" Daine winced when she heard him use his nickname for her. She had always loved it when he called her that, and she knew she had to get away fast before she was lost in him once again.   
  
Numair swept her up in his arms, pulling her tightly to his chest. Once again, Daine winced at his show of affection. Silently, she cursed him for making things so hard for her. Without a single word to him, or a glance into his dark, stormy eyes, she retched herself from his hold, finding that he put up no struggle. By now, tears were streaming down her face as she quickly shuffled away from him, fighting to get to her feet to run. Though she didn't mean to, she found herself gazing suddenly into his dark eyes, as if enchanted by his presence. She immediately regretted what she was about to do, for she could see his eyes, wet with tears, looking back at her with an undying love. It was obvious that he didn't understand her antics, and maybe he never would. Daine couldn't help that now. She had to be strong and do the right thing, no matter how wrong it may seem just now.  
  
Lost in her mind, as if against her own will, Daine stood to her feet and, fast as lightning, bolted away from him. She wanted nothing more than to stop dead in her tracks and allow him to catch her in his arms, so that she could feel him hold her tight. It was likely he would kiss her then, as she so desperately wanted him to. As she ran now, she could almost feel his soft lips on hers, caressing her lips lovingly with his own.  
  
"Daine! Wait!" Daine heard his frantic, panic filled voice calling after her retreating form. She dared not turn back to face him. She didn't want to see the pure love she knew that she would find written clearly on his face. She wanted desperately to forget everything, yet that was the last thing she wanted as well. She was so confused just now, that she had not a single idea as to where to begin.  
  
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A/N: Well? What did you think? I know, I know, it was sort of a cliffy, and you hate it when I do that, but guess what? It makes it better! Plus, its REALLY entertaining to read the reviews you guys send me! Speaking of reviews, I had better get many of them, or you can expect to never see an update from me again....hehehe...With the right amount of reviews, you can expect to see an update from me very soon. Perhaps less than a week! ^_^ 


	17. Hashing Out The Details

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry, as usual, for the delayed update....If you haven't already done so, please go check out my new fic called I'm Still Here....Oh, and of course review it! While you're on this little reviewing review this chapter too! ^_^  
  
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"Daine! Wait!" Daine heard his frantic, panic filled voice calling after her retreating form. She dared not turn back to face him. She didn't want to see the pure love she knew that she would find written clearly on his face. She wanted desperately to forget everything, yet that was the last thing she wanted as well. She was so confused just now, that she had not a single idea as to where to begin.  
  
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Daine ran blindly, mind in a whirl. She seemed to have no idea as to where she was running. All she knew, was that she had to get away. "Daine!" She heard his final cry pierce the air, begging her to stop her running and return to his side. Her heart wanted so desperately to do just that, but her body and mind refused to stop running.  
  
Daine could hear fallen leaves crunching beneath her boots as she ran through the palace gardens. It was the beginning of fall, so the trees in the gardens had started to shed their leaves. Daine cursed the leaves for the noise they made. She knew that it was probable that Numair had followed her, or at least attempted to, and if he was nearby, the sound of the crunching leaves would alert him to her location. In many ways, she wanted her plans to be ruined, and for him to find her. It was what her heart wanted, and it was a hard thought to ignore. But push it back she must, for seeing him now would old further the pain she would feel one day soon. Leaving Tortall would be the hardest thing she would ever do, and it would be a great deal easier if she could force herself to forget him.  
  
Against her will, Daine felt a tear roll down her face. She felt like a wild animal, free and roaming through the woods, escaping two leggers who would hunt her for food. For an instant, she almost forgot that she was Veralidaine Sarrasri, Wild Mage of Tortall. For that brief moment in time, she was free of herself, of her life. She was as wild as she was those years ago in the forests of Galla, as she fled from the villagers of her home town.  
  
Finding a secluded haven in a mass of bushes and shrubs, Daine settled herself down and onto the grass. She breathed heavily, taking in deep breaths so as to gain her breath back from the long run. From the looks of her surroundings, which she had been blocking out of her mind as she ran, she had gone quite a ways from the stables where she kept Cloud. She could no longer hear the mare in her mind, which, she decided, was a good thing for the present moment.  
  
"What am I going to do?" She said to herself after a long while of silence, voice gloom. She felt lost, more than anything. Her forced separation from the man she loved was not helping her, either. She knew that in the end, it would help her, but that there would never be any immediate satisfaction from it, not would she ever reap any happiness. All it did, was merely save her from further pain that would come.   
  
Daine felt her heart race and her mind panic as she heard the sound of crunching leaves nearby. It grew louder in the ears by the second, signifying that the approaching force was coming closer to her. Daine heard the final crunch sound just mere yards away from her haven. Slowly, so as not to rustle the leaves and thus alert the intruder of her presence, Daine inched her way up to the wall of bushes that surrounded her. Ever so carefully, she parted the leaves that blocked her view with her fingers. Before long, Daine had created a hole large enough to see rather clearly out of. Through it, she could see much of the clearing that surrounded her haven of bushes.  
  
Scanning the clearing before her with her eyes through her tiny peep hole, Daine could see nothing at first, but the greenery of the palace gardens. The scene before her held only a vast amount of space, a path of large stepping stones, lined with hedges to properly mark its boundaries. This had been the path Daine had run away from Numair on, though she had not known that at the time, being too lost in her flurry of thoughts. Next, Daine could see a small bench, close to the opposite hedge. To each of its sides were a set of rose bushes donning majestic yellow roses and minty green leaves.   
  
It was only after she had assumed her eyes had seen all that there was to see, believing that her ears had deceived her, that Daine finally heard it. It was a sound that somehow, she had managed to ignore before, and thus never notice. It was the sound of rushing water, rippling through rocks. Quickly, Daine let her eyes search for the source, mind clouded with anticipation. She pulled back the branches of the bush she sat behind further, opening up more of the clearing to her sight. Almost immediately, Daine's eyes fell upon something she had not seen or noticed before. It was a small fountain, bearing three levels of rock which water flowed down, originating from the top stone.  
  
Suddenly, it hit Daine like a tone of bricks, that someone was sitting on the edge of the fountain, gazing down and into the swirling water. Daine knew who it was immediately, but had mixed feelings as far as her reaction went. There, just yards away, sat Numair Salmalin. Daine's eyes about popped out of her head upon seeing him there, after having thought that she had outrun him by a long shot. Drat him, she thought angrily, He probably used his focus!  
  
She felt a sudden and uncontrollable urge to break through her haven of bushes and race across the short space the separated her from her lover. She wanted him to take her in his arms, and whisper soothing words in her ears. She wanted all of this and more so badly, but restrained herself from seeking to achieve it. She had to control herself, or it would only come to hurt her further down the road.  
  
Against her will, a tear rolled down her face for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day. Lost did not ever be to describe the race of emotions that Daine felt now. She felt betrayal, love, fear, regret, but most of all, confusion. Her mind was in a whirl, an untamable whirl. To Daine, it seemed just now, that things were spinning out of control at an unbearably fast rate. Soon, and much too soon for her to feel at ease, things would spin so far out of control, that Daine would have not a single flicker of hope left of retaining anything she held dear to her again.  
  
"You know, Mithros, if you were really a god of justice, you wouldn't be doing this to her right now," Numair's voice seemed to be filled with restrained anger. His face held an odd expression, something Daine could not recall having seen him holding before. Daine reshifted her position, so that she could better see him. She was very curious as to what he had to say, though she knew this was going to make her temptation to run to him grow to unbearable levels. "She has to leave, and you're keeping her from me in this short time we have left. No, you are far from being just."  
  
"Numair," Daine whispered, still safe in her haven. Again, she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Again, she felt that she had to go to him, and comfort him. He would have to live with all of this for as long as she would, maybe even longer. He needed her as much as she needed him; she could see that clearly from his actions now.  
  
Daine watched in a horrified silence as her lover banged his fist roughly against the stone of the fountain's rim on which he sat. He recoiled his hand in pain, a small streak of blood leaking out from where he had managed to make contact with a jagged piece of stone. Numair, mind still flushed with anger, brought his throbbing fist up to his lips, where he hastily got rid of the blood.  
  
The young woman continued to watch her once fiancee, enthralled by his form on the fountain's edge. He seemed captivated by the water once more, ignoring his surroundings just as he had before his outburst towards the great god, Mithros. Daine could very well understand his antics. She felt like cursing the gods herself, but refrained from doing so when she began to realize just how much she would need them, now more than ever. Anything she had been through before, would be nothing like what was to come for her. In her mind, she could handle the most powerful of foes so long as she had good friends and a man who loved her more than life itself by her side. In Galla, where she was to be going, she would have no one. She would sink back into the darkness from which she came, and would be utterly alone once more.  
  
Time passed by quickly for Daine. How much time she spent gazing at her lover, she never knew. All she knew was that she could not take her eyes away. Though he was very unaware of what he was doing, he was reeling her in. He was going, slowly at first, but now, he had become more powerful, and much more difficult for Daine to resist. All she could consider now, was that she had to return to his side. In her last days in the land she loved, she wanted to be with the man she loved, no matter how much that affected her later when she could see him no longer. She had been foolish to restrain herself, she saw that now. She felt also as if she had been selfish, for he would want to be with her too, for soon he would see her no longer.   
  
Daine was not in any way prepared for what she saw next. Right in front of her eyes, though he could have no way of knowing she was watching, Numair burst into tears. Daine had seen him cry before, on an occasion or two. She had seen him cry a great deal this very day in fact. Back at her room, early that morning, he had held her tightly to his chest and cried into her hair. It had been very different then. Now, he was passed just shedding a few tears. he was sobbing uncontrollably, face buried in his hands.   
  
Throughout all of the several years that Daine had known Numair, she had never seen him like this. Always, he had seemed like a solid foundation to her; something that could never be broken. He had always seemed to be such a strong person, physically and emotionally. The fact that he had the most powerful Gift out of every mage in the realm only seemed to fortify that theory. No, Daine had never known Numair Salmalin to be like this, and it broke her heart.  
  
Just as he seemed to be throwing himself further into his pit of misery, his sobs becoming more consistent, Daine stood to her feet, timidly at first, but soon sure of herself. She would not be afraid, not now. Wiping all thoughts or feelings of hesitation out of her mind, Daine pushed her way through the hedge, moving to the other side. She had not expected Numair to notice her, what with the state he was in, but once again, he surprised her.  
  
"Daine," He said suddenly, head jerking up immediately from its position of hiding in his hands. His voice was choked and also extremely raspy. Daine was not exactly sure whether he had voiced her name in a question or simply as a statement, but she decided that it was not of much importance just now.  
  
Numair quickly jumped to his feet, making Daine once again feel timid. His eyes were red from crying, face still tear stained. Daine also noticed how mused his hair was, most likely from nervously running his fingers nervously through it so much today. "Goddess, Numair," Daine breathed, feet glued firmly to where she stood. He too seemed stuck to his spot, for he moved no closer to her. His eyes though, looked upon her with such a longing, that Daine knew that his mind very much wanted him to step forward. "What are you doing to yourself?"  
  
It seemed as thought Daine's words had broken the ice between the two lovers, for Numair needed no more urging to make his move. Within the blink of an eye, he was running towards her, not slowing at all until he stood just in front of her. He wrapped his arms hastily around her torso, pulling her tightly to his chest before she could once again escape. In his mind, he had decided that if she was planning to avoid him for the rest of her time in Tortall, then he would at least find a way to hold her one last time before she was taken away from him, forever.   
  
Half expecting Daine to leap back from him, or at least pose some sort of struggle to get out of his grasp, Numair almost leaped back with shock when he found none. He felt so happy, yet so surprised, for he had been so certain he would receive a different reaction. Had circumstances been different, a smile would have tugged merrily at the man's lips as he felt his lover grip tightly to the back of his shirt, pulling her body tightly to his chest. In response to her affections, Numair ran his hand through her smoky brown curls, seeking comfort from her just as much as he was giving it back. "I can't take this, Daine!" He whispered frantically in her ear. His voice was melancholy and chaste, showing openly what he felt on the inside.   
  
Just as Numair had only moments before, Daine too burst into a fit of tears. She let her strong emotions of fear and confusion leak out as she did this. He held her close, murmuring comforting words in her ear as he did. This entire situation that had taken place this morning was so foreign to both Daine and Numair, that neither knew what exactly was the proper reaction. This created panic, fear and confusion between them, such that was being exposed now. "Oh, Numair!" Daine choked out between sobs, "I'm so sorry you have to go through this too!"  
  
"Hush sweet," He soothed, still running his spare hand through her mass of smoky brown curls, "There was nothing you could do to change this."  
  
"Yes, there was!" Daine burst out suddenly, hardly in control of her tone of voice by this point, "If I had just stayed in Galla to begin with, and never come to Tortall, I would not be in so much pain right now, and neither would you!"  
  
Numair gripped her shoulders tightly, using his spare hand to cup her face gently, and pull her chin up so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "You look at me," His voice was serious, leaving no room for doubting the words that he spoke. His eyes watered with tears, and his entire body was sweat soaked. "Don't you ever think that, or even wish it. Daine, think about what you've just said! A good number of people, mostly innocent citizens, would be dead today if it were not for you coming to Tortall! I know for certain that I would most definitely be dead today had I not met you!" His voice was serious, but also rushed right now. Daine could see a small smile tugging at his lips as he was recalling their time together. Though his hair was an unkempt mess and his face red and tear stained, Daine felt very attracted to him just now, thinking he still looked rather handsome. "Daine, I wouldn't be complete, had I not met you." He finished his speech with that, seeing no reason to further his point. He knew very well that she was aware of what he had spoken of, and that she had just needed some help jogging her memory.  
  
"Numair, how am I going to live without you?" Daine's voice shook as she voiced this question. From the look in her eyes, it pained her to even say this, and Numair had to give her credit for that.  
  
Her lover was at a loss for words now. He had not the slightest idea what would be the proper thing to say, nor how he could say it to her. He was torn and broken inside, and it was showing clearly now. He himself could not even begin to fathom how life was going to go on for him without her in it. He didn't even want to try to think about it until the time came.   
  
Lightly, Numair planted a kiss in her hair. In response, Daine lifted her head to look at him, from where she had had it buried in his shirt. She gazed into his dark orbs, enchanted by his presence. Despite the circumstances, a small smile tugged at her mouth just from the sight of him. Standing on her tip toes, Daine leaned forward and eased her mouth gently over his, taking him by slight surprise. It took him a moment to fully grasp her antics, but when he finally did, he responded with a passionate zeal. "I love you," she whispered in his ear, pulling him down so that he was closer to her height.  
  
Numair pulled away from the kiss, breaking it for only a split moment. Soon, he had moved his head back down to her own, caressing her lips with his. "And I you," He voiced in response, scaresly breaking their kiss for more than an instant to utter these words. Daine moaned inwardly, finding herself becoming more lost in his affections by the minute. She could feel him move his hand to rest on the back of her neck, pushing her all the more closer to himself. His other hand roamed her back, sending shivers of pleasure up her spine. Daine felt so strange just now. She searched her mind for a word that properly fit what she was feeling, but came up empty. It was like she was more terrified than she had ever been in her life, yet she was also happy. She could not understand how both of these feelings could collide inside herself like this. She didn't even want to know, once she thought about it.  
  
Once each of them had finally managed to calm themselves, they simply stood in each other's arms, taking in the scent and feeling of the other. No words were spoken in this time, and none were needed. There were times when things were better left unsaid. To the two lovers, the current predicament of being separated was better off unmentioned, for then it could be easier forgotten. It was an unspoken agreement for the two of them to simply enjoy the time they had left, and worry about the end when it came. Unfortunately for the two, it would come much sooner than either could have fathomed, or would have liked.  
  
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(1 week later......)  
  
"You summoned me, Majesty?" Daine voiced as she stepped into the King's study. She could remember clearly her last visit to this very study, and she felt her eyes water at the mere thought. She pushed them back, willing herself that for the little time she had left in this wondrous country, she would refrain from shedding a single tear when in front of company. She did not by any means want her friends to see just how badly this whole ordeal was affecting her.  
  
"Indeed yes, Daine, I did," Jon said, finishing quickly with whatever he was writing as he sat at his desk near the back of the room. When he had finished, he lifted his head and turned to face his visitor. Upon seeing the intense look in her eyes, he rose to his feet and went to greet her. He immediately found himself at a loss for words, for he felt a sort of tension in the air around him. He reached out across the distance that separated them and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. He then retracted it once more, almost as quickly as he had offered it. "Please, Daine, why don't you have a seat?" The king voiced, nodding his head to the right to motion for him to follow.  
  
Jon walked across the room and took a seat himself, the same seat in fact, that he had sat in just one week ago to tell Daine the worst news she had ever been told in her entire life. "What did you want to tell me, Jon?" Daine asked, her voice echoing her pain. Jon could tell clearly that the Wild Mage was trying with all of her will and strength to hide her feelings of fear and regret, but he also saw how badly she was failing this task.  
  
"Listen, Daine, I know this isn't a subject you care to discuss, but its something that we do need to clarify," As soon as Jon had uttered these words, he regretted them. He saw the look of pure pain in the young woman's eyes, and he felt very bad for her. He could not even begin to imagine just how horrible she must be feeling lately, and he wished he could make things different for her. "I've received word from Jarlath, concerning exactly when and how you are to be sent to Galla."  
  
"W-what have you learned?" Daine's voice shook ever so slightly, and Jon could see that she was beginning to lose her tight hold on her emotions. Jon knew now, just how much she was struggling. He could see her eyes watering with tears, and he felt a pang of guilt, knowing that this entire mess was partially his own fault.  
  
"A delegation of Gallan nobles shall be sent to retrieve you in a week's time," Jonathan had a very hard time delivering this news to her. Her eyes widened with unimaginable pain, and Jon knew that she was not at all ready to leave. She let out a quiet, almost inaudible sob. He could sense the fight that was going on inside of her, and he longed to help.   
  
Daine felt her heart sink at the king's news. She did not know what to think just now. All she knew, was that her time was nearly up, and she was no where near prepared for it. She felt as if she were on her death bed, as if she knew her death were around the corner, waiting for her. "Daine, are you all right?" Jon asked after a while, gazing idly at his young friend.  
  
"I don't know, Jon," Daine voiced, thought it was clear her heart and mind were not in it," I just don't know."  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, I've decided to hold a ball in your honor," Jon said, feeling as if he himself would cry at any moment. There were few events that actually brought him near to tears, and this was definitely one of them. "I know it isn't much, but I don't know what more I can do for you."  
  
Daine looked up at him, meeting his clear blue eyes. She forced a small grin, knowing that he had been very thoughtful to think of her. She may not be fond of social functions, but she couldn't help but think it would be an excellent place to enjoy her last few days in Tortall with Numair. It would be a night for her to remember always, to treasure. "Thank you, Jon," Daine said, forcing another grin. She felt a slight ember of happiness beginning to ignite in her heart for the king's generosity. "When is it to be held, so I know how long I have to prepare myself?" Just as before, Daine's heart was not in her words, and Jon could see it clearly. He could tell though, that she was in fact grateful for his thoughtfulness.  
  
"It shall be the night before you are to leave Tortall," Jon said, trying hard not to gaze into her brilliant blue gray eyes. He didn't want to see the pain that he knew would be there. "I'll be announcing it to the court tonight over dinner."  
  
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A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter took me so long to get out! I will REALLY try much harder next time, I promise...I'm really looking forward to writing the next few chapters, so you can expect them to come out faster! Don't forget to review, for it motivates me! ^_^ 


	18. One Last Dance

A/N: Well here we are....another update...my very first update of 2004! *does dance* It feels so weird saying that its 2004...it just doesn't feel any different I guess! I'm going to try to update I'm Still Here very soon, its just that I feel like getting maybe up to chapter 20 in this one before I even try...This is a part in the story that I want to be done just right, or else it won't work...that's why I can't be distracted by my other fic....I hope you enjoy today's entry, and R/R!!!! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: Hmmmm...I haven't left one of these in a while....I don't own it, so don't sue me over it...I do sort of own the plot though, so keep your dirty mits off it! Also, I don't own any of Trisha Yearwood's lyrics....   
  
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"Try the violet one, Daine," Thayet, the queen of Tortall said to her young friend. The two had spent much of their morning out in the most prominent, not to mention costly, dress shop in Corus. The only reason Daine had agreed to tag along had been that the queen had insisted, and one couldn't deny the order of a queen. Another reason had been because she knew very well that it would look fair foolish if she showed up at a ball held in her honor, dressed in her usual shirt and breeches. As much as she wanted to deny it, Daine desperately needed a new dress for the upcoming ball.  
  
"Are you sure, Thayet?" Daine asked, biting her lip as she let her eyes scrutinize the dress that hung before her. It was long, and had a relatively low cut to it, one of the reasons Daine was unsure of it. The material by which it was made was a thin silk, meant to cling tightly to one's body, especially near the hips. "I don't know if its, well, my sort."  
  
"Well, you won't know until you try!" Thayet said cheerfully, trying to ignore the younger woman's sour demeanor. She could sense the melancholy tone in her young friend's voice, and she wanted desperately for it to go away.  
  
"Yes, I suppose so," Daine muttered, taking the dress from Thayet's outstretched arms. She held it in her hands, looking it over one last time before stepping behind the dressing screen with it. Without putting her heart into it, she quickly slipped out of her outer garments, first her off white shirt, and then her tan work breeches. She undid the ties on the back of the dress, which she was displeased to see, that once laced up again, would be see-through. "Why did I ever let Thayet talk me into this?" Daine grumbled to herself, not really caring if the queen heard her or not. I'm not even a citizen of Tortall anymore, so there isn't much she can do! Daine felt immediately guilty for this last stray thought, and decided to start having a better attitude about this whole ball idea. She knew that the monarchs had only been thinking of her when they arranged it, and she should at least enjoy herself for their sake. And for Numair's sake, she thought. This would be her last night with him, and she wanted it to be one she would always remember. She supposed a ball would be an excellent way to spend it.  
  
"How are you doing in there, Daine?" came Thayet's voice from the opposite side of the dressing screen. Daine could tell she was very excited about all of this. She knew that dress hunting was one of Her Majesty's favorite hobbies.  
  
"I don't know, Thayet," Daine voiced her unsureness. "I really don't think that this one is for me."  
  
"Well, let me see it, dear," Thayet called once more. This last request irritated Daine slightly, making her loathe the dress further. If she didn't like it, she felt sure that the older woman would, being that they had contrasting tastes.  
  
Timidly, Daine stepped out from behind the dressing screen, blushing slightly when she noticed just how much of her upper body was showing as a result of the dress's low neckline. "Hmmm," Thayet scrutinized the dress in her mind. Putting a thoughtful finger to her lip, she began looking it over at every angle. "No, I think you're right on this one, Daine. It just isn't you."  
  
Daine sighed in relief, glad that the queen wasn't going to try to force her to where this one to the ball. "Why don't you try this one, Daine," Thayet called from the opposite end of them room. This brought the question to Daine's mind as to how the queen had managed to reshift her position so fast, and on top of that, how she had managed to find a proper dress in such a short time.  
  
"What do you say to this?" Thayet asked as she held the dress out to Daine. The young girl scanned the dress that was held before her eyes. She had to admit, it was the most stunning piece she had laid eyes on yet in this shop. It was a long, satin embroidered godet dress. Daine admired its intricately embroidered pattern of flowers that stretched across the front. It slanted down to the side, making it look almost like a sash. Daine also noticed, with some approval, that the design picked up again near the back, towards the bottom of the gown. The dress was a brilliant blue gray in coloring, matching Daine's eyes perfectly. The embroidery was done with silver thread, making it stand out lavishly.  
  
"I have to admit, Thayet, its the best one you've pointed out to me," Daine said, letting herself grin slightly. Thayet's eyes lit up when she saw Daine flash the first grin she'd seen in a while.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for, Daine?" Thayet asked excitedly, practically jumping up and down as she spoke. When Daine shot her a quizzical look, the queen added, "Try it on!"  
  
Daine smiled at the queen's antics, taking the dress from her and walking back across the room and to the dressing screen. Once again, she slipped out of her outer garments, this time though, with much more anticipation. The more she began considering the whole idea of a ball in her honor, the more she had to admit to herself that it would not be half bad. It would be something for her to remember doing with Numair, whom she would dance the night away with.   
  
Proudly, Daine stepped out from behind the dressing screen to an anxiously awaiting Thayet. The queen's eyes lit up upon seeing her, making Daine wonder all the more how she looked. "Oh, Daine! You look absolutely stunning in that dress!" Thayet cried excitedly, "Come, see for yourself!" She added, pointing to a full length mirror that stood next to the dressing screen.  
  
Daine walked over to the mirror, slightly nervous about her appearance. Once she reached the mirror, she took one look at herself and she knew that this dress was the perfect one. She wanted to look her best for her lover for the last time he would see her, and this most definitely gave off the desired affect. "I this this one'll do, Thayet," Daine said, mentally kicking herself for letting her attitude droop again.   
  
"You bet your life it will!" Thayet said excitedly, giving Daine the impression that she hadn't noticed the younger woman's slight change of attitude. "I want you to look your best for that night, Daine." Thayet herself began to frown slightly, feeling sadness from her own words. She had promised herself that she would avoid dwelling on the fate of the young woman that stood before her, but she was finding it to be a hard task.  
  
"Thank you, Thayet," Daine said, smiling gratefully. It was still hard for her to believe that she could be such close friends with the monarchs of this strange country. Thayet had never ceased to surprise and amaze her. She really would miss the raven haired queen.  
  
"Its the least Jon and I could do for you, Daine," Thayet said sympathetically. She smiled slightly at the young woman, hoping to raise her spirits. "I really am sorry, Daine. Jon is too."  
  
"I know Thayet, I know," Daine said, her voice low. She let her eyes drop to the floor, knowing that her eyes would water if she continued to face her friend.  
  
"Could you find it in your heart to forgive us?" Thayet asked, heart sincere. She really did hope that her young friend didn't blame her and her husband for what was happening. In truth, there was very little, if anything, that could be done about it. Thayet just wished that it could be some other way.  
  
"Thayet, I never blamed you or Jon in thr first place!" Daine voiced, forcing a smile. She no longer faced the floor, but instead looked up at her friend. Feeling her knees beginning to feel weak at the mere thought of her return to Galla, Daine sat down on a large chest that sat close behind her. "I'm fair sure that there's nothing to forgive."  
  
Without uttering another word, Thayet stepped forward towards Daine, and threw her arms around the young woman's neck, pulling her close. "I'm going to miss you!" The queen cried sadly, eyes watering with tears.  
  
"Gods, Thayet, I'm going to miss you too," Daine said quietly, voice slightly muffled, for her face was buried in Thayet's mass of raven black curls. She felt her eyes watering up with tears, but she pushed them back, telling herself that she wouldn't make her friend feel worse by her crying.  
  
The two women sat together on that chest for quiet some time, both thinking of how cruel life could be. Finally, Thayet spoke once again, breaking the silence. "You'd best get out of that dress and back into your clothes, Daine, so that we can pay for it," she said, acting as if the emotional conversation of minutes before had never taken place. Daine was grateful for Thayet's sudden change of subject. Talking about her fate to return to Galla was not something she wanted to do just now, especially with her limited time left in Tortall with her friends.  
  
Daine nodded, and stood to again go behind the cover of the dressing screen. She undid the laces in the back of her dress, barely able to reach a few of them. Soon, she had slipped out of it all together, and stood clad in only her breast band and loin cloth. She reached down the floor, to the pile where she had idly tossed her clothing, and picked up her pair of tan working breeches. She pulled them on, and then reached for her white shirt. Once dressed, she again stepped out into the open shop, to find Thayet waiting for her. The queen held a bag, which Daine knew held the newly purchased dress. She smiled towards her friend, and together, the two women left the store and headed back to the palace.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
(several days later)  
  
Daine sat in her room, staring intently at her reflection in the mirror that hung above her dresser on the wall. It was the night of the ball, and she was already clad in her new dress. Now, as she looked at her reflection, she thought herself to look relatively beautiful.   
  
Suddenly, there was a light rapping on the door. Daine knew that it was most likely going to be the servant that Thayet had promised to send to Daine's rooms to help her to do up her hair and face paint. "Come in!" Daine called, causing Kit to stir at her feet. The young dragonet had sensed Daine's sad state lately, and had made it her business to always stay near her guardian.  
  
"I am here to serve you, Milady," came the voice of the young female servant as she stepped into Daine's bed chamber. She approached Daine where she sat before her mirror, and carefully scrutinized the Wild Mages appearance. "You look beautiful already."  
  
"Thank you," Daine said, trying her best to be cheerful, but failing miserably. It seemed that all that she could think about was what awaited her with the coming day tomorrow. "What would you suggest I do with my hair?" She voiced, but her heart was not in it by any means.  
  
"Allow me to do it for you, Milady," the servant said, taking a step closer to Daine until she stood directly behind her. Daine sat back, relaxing herself as the servant worked with her hair. She could feel the woman lifting it and carefully wrapping it this way and that. Every once in a while, the servant would add some sort of mousse or hair potion to make its texture just right, and would then move back into what she was doing.  
  
  
  
After little more than half an hour, the servant finally moved back, awaiting Daine's approval. "Well, what do you think, Milady?" The servant asked timidly.  
  
"Its beautiful," Daine said, forcing a grin. She continued to stare at her reflection, at her newly pinned up hair, and sighed. She felt as if she were on death row, and she was in the hangman's room, awaiting her death that would come with the morning.  
  
"Have you any other needs?" the servant asked, smiling towards Daine.  
  
"None, but thank you," Daine said sweetly, once again forcing a grin. "It was fair nice of you to assist me, and I thank you."  
  
"It was my pleasure and my duty, Milady," the servant said to Daine. She bowed, smiling one last time before leaving Daine to herself.  
  
Daine sighed inwardly, gazing out her bed chamber window. The sun was beginning to set, and Daine knew that she now had little time before the start of the ball. Glancing around the room, she took in its every feature, wanting to remember it. Though almost everything inside of it that would be familiar to her had already been stripped bare and packed away for her departure, Daine still couldn't help but think how much she was going to miss falling asleep in this room every night. This was only one single thing among the endless amount of things she would miss.  
  
There was a loud rapping coming from the main quarters of Daine's room. She quickly rose from where she sat on her bed, and exited her bed chamber. Lifting her skirts as she went, she made her way to the door to her living room, and turned the knob to open it. In the doorway stood her secret lover, Numair Salmalin. She smiled upon seeing him, earning half of a grin in response. She knew from the look in his eyes, that he was thinking along the same lines that she had been. He was thinking about what the morning would bring. He was thinking about the Gallan delegation that would take her from him tomorrow. "You look so beautiful," He voiced in little more than a whisper. Reaching out a timid hand, he gently brushed away a stray curl.  
  
Daine felt her face grow hot as she blushed at his compliment. Slowly, she moved closer to him, until their bodies were pressed tightly together, and she kissed his cheek lightly. "You look handsome yourself," She said with a smile, feeling her heart fluttering within her chest. She could see his eyes darken with an odd emotion at her mention of his apparel this night. He stood before her, clad in a pair of black dress pants and a white silk shirt with ruffles along the sleeves and chest. Also, he wore his usual black robe, signifying his mastery and rank.  
  
"I'd be content to stand here all night, just taking in your every feature," Numair whispered, though he had not intended to say it out loud. When he noticed Daine staring at him curiously, eyes wide, he knew that he had indeed voiced his mind. he blushed at this sudden recognition, wishing to be saved from this awkward moment.  
  
Daine blushed furiously, wishing, and not for the first time, that her skin was not so light. "Numair, there is a wide variety of ladies at court tonight for this ball that I'm sure would be much more pleasing to the eye than myself." Daine, being the modest young woman she was, really did believe what she had just said.  
  
"Oh, but how wrong you are, my Magelet," He said, voice slightly amused. Daine looked into his dancing eyes and was pleased to see that he was passed his previous thoughts of her departure. She did not want him to dwell on it, not on her last night in Tortall with him. "Out of all the women in the world, none could even dream of holding a candle to you in my eyes."  
  
If Daine had felt flattered by his words before, it was nothing to what she felt now. She blushed for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that night, and again asked the gods why they had cursed her with such a light complexion.   
  
Before Daine knew what was happening, he had brought his lips to hers, losing his inner battle of self control. He poured all of the emotions that he felt inside his heart into that kiss, and Daine took them in willingly. She kissed him back, trying her best to comfort him, and assure him that she would be all right. He moaned inwardly as the kiss went on, feeling on the verge of tears.  
  
Though she didn't want to, Daine pushed him away much too soon for the both of them. He groaned in disappointment, but then realization struck him as well as it had her. "Numair, we can't do this here!" she hissed in his ear. "Anyone could have seen that."  
  
"I know, love, but at this point, does it really even matter?" Numair asked, hands smoothing his shirt back to its original state. He looked intently into her blue gray eyes, effectively melting her heart.  
  
"Numair, I just don't want our friends to know how much you and I really had to lose," Daine said sadly, feeling her eyes well up with tears. Numair nodded, eye focused firmly on the floor. The both of them had just touched onto a subject he did not by any means want to discuss. To him, it was just a terrifying reality, and for tonight, he would deny it. "Now lets go to the ball, as we're expected. We can spend time together when its over."  
  
Her eyes glistened with an odd emotion as she said this, causing Numair's heart to beat at a rapid pace. His breath caught in his throat, and he fought to push back a number of tempting thoughts that were now flying through his mind's eye. "Of course, sweet," He answered, shaking his head to clear his mind when she was no longer looking. Numair forced a smile and extended his arm to her, all the while telling himself that he would not think about tomorrow as anything more than an average day in Tortall. Daine accepted his offered arm gratefully, and together the two made their way from Daine's room, down the hall, and to the ball room.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Alanna the Lioness sat at a table in a distant corner of the ball room. The Lioness wore a lavish, wine colored dress with intricately embroidered designs up the front. She hadn't expected to arrive in Corus so soon, nor had she imagined what news she would stumble into upon her arrival. She remembered clearly now what had happened. She had unsaddled Darkmoon, and left her trusted mount to Stefan to put into the pastures for grazing. She had then made her way to Jonathan's study, to immediately give him her reports, for she wanted very much to see to her friends. At the time, she had no idea what sort of havoc and grief had fallen upon them. Upon her arrival in Jonathan's study, he had told her the grave news of the letter from Galla, and how Daine was going to have to depart in two day's time.  
  
The Champion could remember breaking down into tears right on the spot. Veralidaine Sarrasri had always been her close friend. The young woman had even saved Alanna's life on occasion, and she thanked the gods everyday that Onua had stumbled across her on her journey to the horse fairs. It had been, and still was hard for Alanna to grasp the fact that the Wild Mage would be sent away against her will to her home land.  
  
"I'm glad to see you made it back to Corus in time, Alanna," came an all too familiar voice. Alanna turned around to see Onua, the horse mistress. Onua wore a modest dress, easily the most plain one in the entire hall. It was a dark color of peach with a strap that tied around her neck to hold it up. She still looked lovely in it, Alanna saw. Alanna forced a smile, earning one in return from Onua.  
  
"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," Alanna replied, eyes looking remorseful. She looked at Onua, still more than surprised to see her here. It was a known fact that the horse mistress avoided any and all social functions, for she loathed them. From what Alanna knew of this, Onua hated balls more than Alanna did. She was pleased to see that Onua had chosen to come in any event to support her friend. "I must say though, I'm surprised to catch you out of the stables, Onua."  
  
"Yes, well, I wouldn't miss this any more than you would, Alanna," Onua said, voice choking slightly. Alanna fully understood what her friend must be feeling. She knew that Onua had come to love Daine as if she were her sister. "I just can't believe she's leaving."  
  
"Nor can I," Alanna admitted, taking a sip from her glass of red wine that sat on the table before her. Without a word, she pointed to the open seat next to her, and Onua took the hint and sat down. "It just doesn't seem fair to me."  
  
"I know what you mean," Onua said in agreement. Alanna sighed, sitting her wine glass back down onto the table. "Where is George? Was he able to come?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid he couldn't get away from the Swoop in time to get here for the ball," Alanna said sadly, knowing how much it bothered her husband that he wouldn't be there to bid farewell to his good friend. "He really felt bad about not getting to say good-bye to Daine."  
  
"I would imagine so," Onua said, wishing that the rougish baron were here. She knew it would have meant a lot to Daine if he could have found a way to come.  
  
The two women sat in silence for a while, listening to the musicians play their best for the dancers on the dance floor. It seemed that everyone they knew had made it and was either seated or twirling on the dance floor. Finally, when Alanna spoke up, they both realized that not everyone was here just yet. "Well, look who finally decided to show up," Alanna said with a chuckle, voice thoroughly amused.  
  
Onua turned her head to where Alanna was gazing and saw that her eyes had landed on the two large oak doors to the ball room. Stepping through them was the guest of honor, their good friend Daine. On her arm, was Numair. "You haven't forgotten about our little theory, have you?" Onua questioned, already knowing what was on Alanna's mind.  
  
"You can bet your life I haven't," Alanna said, eyes still intently watching Daine and Numair. She held an odd emotion in her eyes, one almost of pity. It was then that it struck Onua.  
  
"Oh, Alanna!" She said suddenly, voice stricken with sadness, "I hope we're wrong about them, I really do!"  
  
Alanna met the eyes of her friend, realization striking her as well. "Oh gods, you're right, Onua!" She said suddenly, eyes alight with understanding. "Look what she would be leaving behind!"  
  
"This just isn't fair," Onua said, feeling horrible for the fate of her friends. Deep down, both women knew that their suspicions were right. They had to be right, there was just no other way. Though Alanna hadn't been at the palace to see it, Onua had noticed clearly how much more time the two more spending together. That had only multiplied since Daine had learned the news that she must return to Galla. "If we're right, then I'm sure they love each other a great deal. How's this going to affect Numair?"  
  
"From what Jon said, Numair was furious, and went into a rage with Jon. It went from that to a fit of tears, so its hard to say exactly what he'll do," Alanna said matter of factly. Clearing her throat, she added, "I imagine this whole thing is hurting him a great deal, even if he isn't her lover."  
  
"Out of all of us, I think Daine was the closest to him," Onua said, a stray tear rolling down her cheek for the sake of her friends. She emitted a light, far from happy chuckle, "Come to think of it, Daine was the only one I can think of that he paid more attention to than his books!"  
  
"Yes, that's definitely true," Alanna said in agreement, letting her eyes stray back to the entering couple. She thought of them as 'together' and she smiled. It seemed to be the perfect match. If only it wasn't about to be destroyed.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"There's so many people!" Daine breathed as she stepped into the royal ball room, arm linked tightly with that of her lover.  
  
"I won't be the only one to miss you, Wild Mage," Numair said, trying to force a bit of humor into his demeanor. He failed miserably at this, and he knew it. He was just finding it to be so hard to simply smile or be cheerful lately. The news of Daine's return to Galla was tearing him apart, bit by bit. By tomorrow, he would have nothing left, for his entire world will have completely collapsed. She was his reason for waking up every morning, even before they were lovers, but just good friends. What reason was there for him to wake up anymore, if she was not going to be there to greet him, kiss him good morning?  
  
***How do I  
  
Get through one night without you  
  
If I had to live without you  
  
What kind of life would that be?   
  
Oh I need you in my arms  
  
Need you to hold  
  
Your my world my heart my soul  
  
If you ever leave  
  
Baby you would take away everything good in my life***  
  
Upon stepping in the room, Daine immediately unhooked his arm from hers. She knew that few had probably noticed them in that state, but that they would shrug it off as Numair just being her escort. "Shall we find a table?" Numair asked, deciding it would be best if they moved out of the doorway. He could feel the hair beginning to stand up on the back of his neck, as if he were being watched. He knew that all eyes were on himself and his young lover, after all, she was the guest of honor, and he her escort. No matter what the reason, he wished it would stop. It made him nervous to think that all eyes were on him. He wanted to be able to enjoy his time left with Daine in peace, with no one watching them.  
  
With Daine in the lead, they went in search of an unoccupied table. Out of the corner of his eye, Numair had already seen Alanna and Onua sitting at a table with plenty of room to spare for Daine and himself, but somehow, he did not want to join them. He wanted to sit privately with her, to simply talk and enjoy her company. He knew such thoughts were very selfish of him, but he couldn't help it. "Look, there's Alanna and Onua," Daine pointed out, hardly and ounce of emotion in her voice. Numair knew what these last two weeks had done to her, and it broke his heart.  
  
"Sweet, would it be too much to ask for us to just sit in private?"Numair asked, eyes pleading with Daine. She shifted her gaze, and it fell upon her two friends, the lady knight and horse mistress. Turning her head back to her lover, she saw the pleading look in his eyes and felt torn. Sighing inwardly, she nodded to Numair, and turned her back to the table her two friends sat at. She would have plenty of time to say her good byes to them tomorrow. Just now, the only person she wanted to be with was the man standing next to her.  
  
***And tell me now  
  
How do I live without you  
  
I want to know  
  
How do I breathe without you  
  
If I ever go  
  
How do I everever survive?   
  
How do I  
  
How do I  
  
Oh how do I live? ...***  
  
Following Numair, the two found a nice table near the back of the room, just beside the door that led to the balcony. It was well out of the way of the commotion of the party, thus giving the two their desired privacy. Forcing a small smile, Numair pulled back Daine's chair for her, so that she could sit down. Daine couldn't help but emit a small chuckle at his antics. This earned a true grin from Numair, rather that a forced one, which had become his usual way.  
  
"Will you and the lady be having the beef, or would you prefer the chicken?" One of the servants that was to be serving at the ball tonight approached the table where Daine and Numair had just sat. Numair turned to look at Daine, wanting to let her make the decision.   
  
"The chicken sounds fair," Daine said quietly, voice barely more than a whisper. Numair heard her, though he was certain that the servant had not.  
  
"We shall both be having the chicken, thank you" Numair said politely, nodding his head in dismissal to the servant. The young man had sprinted off in little more than the blink of an eye. "Daine, are you all right?" Numair asked, letting his eyes dart both ways to see if anyone was looking as he cupped her face with his large hand.  
  
"I'll be fine, Numair," Daine said quietly, voice calm, yet restrained. Numair knew the reason for her odd behavior. He cursed himself silently for again bringing his mind to that particular subject. Numair held his gaze with her own for a moment more than was necessary, and then he let his hand drop back into his lap once more.  
  
The two sat in a horrible silence, awaiting their meal. Neither Daine nor Numair were very hungry, being the circumstances, but each decided to eat in an attempt to not worry the other.  
  
Before long, the servant had returned with two platters of food, setting one before Daine and the other before Numair. On each plate was a large piece of herb roasted chicken breast, a dinner roll, rice, a bowl of soup, and a roasted potato. Daine broke her gaze away from Numair and turned to her food. My last meal, she thought meekly. Using her knife and fork, she began to cut the chicken breast into small pieces. Stealing a glance towards her lover, she could see that he had begun doing the same. They both ate in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Neither knew what to say to the other in a time like this, and maybe words were not the best thing anyway. If they were to saw something, perhaps it would dig up painful thoughts and reminders that neither wanted.  
  
***How do I live without you  
  
I want to know  
  
How do I breathe without you  
  
If you ever go  
  
How do I ever, ever survive?   
  
How do I  
  
Oh how do I live?***  
  
"Care to dance?" Numair asked, flashing Daine a genuine smile. During their long silence, he had done quite a bit of thinking, and had come to some decisions. He had decided that no matter how much it was killing him inside, he would be cheerful and happy for Daine. He wanted her to enjoy her last night here, and knew that if he continued to act in the way that he did, she would have no way of doing that.   
  
Daine saw the look of fire in his eyes, and felt her breath catch in her throat. Was she just imagining things, or did her heart really skip a beat just now? A smile tugging at her lips, Daine replied breathlessly, "I'd love to."  
  
With that,both Daine and Numair stood from where they sat and stepped away from the table. Numair extended a hand out to Daine, who accepted it willingly, a smile alighting her face, making Numair's heart melt. He was so glad that he had finally earned a true smile from her, some sign of happiness.  
  
Numair led Daine swiftly out onto the dance floor, taking her gently into his arms once they got there. He slid his arm lovingly around her waist, preparing to move in onto the dance floor. He smiled as he felt Daine snake her arm into its proper spot on his side, and the other around his waist. Together, the two made their way onto the dance floor, all the while gazing intently into the other's eyes.  
  
Looking into the eyes of his lover now, Numair truly realized what he had. Material possessions had nothing to do with his happiness. Perhaps such things had pleased him before, but they did no such thing now. He would much rather be poor, without a roof over his head, and still have Daine by his side that not have her at all. She was everything to him; she was his world. When she left tomorrow, perhaps never to return, Numair's world would be gone, and he knew that now. "What am I going to do?" Numair accidentally voiced aloud. It was in little more than the faintest of whispers, but Daine, being very attent to her lover just now, heard him as clearly as if he had shouted these words.  
  
***Without you  
  
There'd be no sun in my sky  
  
There would be no love in my life  
  
There would be no world left for me  
  
And I  
  
Baby I don't know what I would do  
  
I'd be lost if I lost you  
  
If you ever leave  
  
Baby you would take away everything real in my life ***  
  
" What did you say, love?" Daine asked, tone hushed so as to prevent anyone from hearing her address her teacher in such a way as she just had. She could tell immediately, from the look of surprise and embarrassment in his eyes and features that he had not intended for her to hear what he had just said aloud.  
  
"I hadn't meant to say that aloud," Numair said, hoping she wouldn't question him further. He did not want to upset her, by explaining to her what he had really been thinking. "It was nothing."  
  
"Oh, all right then," Daine said idly, still looking him directly in the eye. Her demeanor gave away all notions that she even slightly believed a word that he had just said. She knew him better than that.  
  
Suddenly, before Daine could prod him further, the magnified sound of the king of Tortall's voice split the air. Daine knew from experience that it was that loud as a result of the king performing a spell on himself to magnify his voice. It was very affective for reaching large crowds of people through speech. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I would like to take this time to bring recognition to the reason we are all here tonight," Jonathan said, holding his glass of red wine at chest level, as if he were preparing to make a toast. "The entire purpose of our ball tonight, is to honor our very own, Veralidaine Sarrasri. I regret to inform you all who did not already know, that she will be leaving us tomorrow. She will be returning to her home land, Galla, by order of the Gallan king, Jarlath. I would like to take this time to say to you, Daine, that I thank you for all that you have done for myself and my kingdom, and that It saddens me that you must leave us. We are all in debt to you, and if ever you need anything while in your new country, alert me and it shall be granted."  
  
Numair looked down at his lover, who was still in his arms, for the toast had began as they were dancing, and saw that a strong blush was creeping onto her face. That was not the only thing he saw. The blue gray eyes of his lover were welling up with tears, and it was only then that he noticed that a stray tear had already leaked down the side of his face. As if tuned to him, Daine turned her head to see that he was crying. Reaching out a gentle finger, she wiped that single tear away, forcing a painful grin to him. Both Daine and Numair seemed oblivious to what ever it was that Jon was saying to the crowd of people. They were in their own world.  
  
In the corner of her mind, after several minutes of simply staring into the eyes of her lover, Daine could faintly hear Jonathan saying, "In conclusion, I would like you all to raise your glasses in farewell, to Veralidaine Sarrasri, heroine of Tortall."  
  
Now, after hearing the last of Jon's speech about her, Daine found herself in tears. She had known Numair at least would miss her, and also her other close friends, such as Alanna and Onua, but she had no idea that she would be missed by anyone else. Looking around her now, she saw that indeed many would miss her, perhaps even some that were not present. Tears were streaming freely down her face, and she made no move to slow them, for she knew her attempts would be in vain. "You all may continue dancing," came Jonathan's voice once more, and immediately all the couples that surrounded Daine and Numair began dancing to the new song that was being played by the musicians. It was much slower music than before, so Daine moved herself closer to her partner, which was expected during such a song.  
  
***And tell me now  
  
How do I live without you  
  
I want to know  
  
How do I breathe without you  
  
If you ever go  
  
How do I ever, ever survive?   
  
How do i  
  
How do i  
  
Oh how do I live?***  
  
As Daine and Numair danced together, it seemed as if all eyes were upon them. To any onlooker, they looked as if they were untied as one, dancing to the music. They were oblivious to the world around them, concentrating only on each other. It brought tears to the eyes of all who could see them, and with good reason. Half of that unity, would be gone by this same time tomorrow night.  
  
Unable to resist herself, Daine let her head droop down until it was resting comfortably against Numair's chest. As they continued to the music, she could feel his hand move from her waist to come and rest on the back of her head, burying itself in her mass of curls. With that hand, he pushed her closer to himself, as if trying to melt her body into his. "I love you," He whispered into her ear. These words were meant for her, and her alone.  
  
Daine attempted to open her mouth in response, but found that her body had been frozen in time now, and out of her control. She continued with her rhythmic movement, her mind in a different place all together. She snuggled up against the warmth of his body, not caring if anyone bother to notice.  
  
Numair was unashamed as tears continued to fall down his face as the dance went on. Oh how he loved this young woman who lay limp in his arms. He loved her more than he had, or ever would, love anything else. They danced on into the night; never stopping, never tiring. It was as if the had ceased to exist. They were frozen in time, together.  
  
***How do I  
  
Get through one night without you  
  
If I had to live without you  
  
What kind of life would that be?   
  
Oh I need you in my arms  
  
Need you to hold  
  
Your my world my heart my soul  
  
If you ever leave  
  
Baby you would take away everything good in my life***  
  
Daine felt her mind and consciousness return in full as soon as the music came to a stop. It did not start again, nor did a new song begin to play. Not a sound but the mumbling and chatter of the people around her fill her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, Daine began to see nobles leading their lovers off of the dance floor, and it was only then that she knew what was happening. The ball was over, her time had come to an end. She lifted her face from Numair's chest, and looked deep into his dark eyes. She could see that tears still flowed steadily down his face, and she could inwardly feel that she herself was in much the same state.  
  
The silence between the two was broken when Numair lifted a hand to her face and tilted her chin up to look at him and he said, "Shall we go back to my rooms, Magelet?" These words were uttered breathlessly, and Daine was sure she felt her heart skip a beat at hearing them. Her breath caught, and unable to utter a single word in response, she simply nodded, eyes filled with tears.  
  
***And tell me now  
  
How do I live without you  
  
I want to know  
  
How do I breathe without you  
  
If you ever go  
  
How do I ever, ever survive?   
  
How do i  
  
How do i  
  
Oh how do I live***  
  
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A/N: Well? You like? I know I kind of left a cliffy for you, but I'm not sorry, so ha! But yeah, review, and maybe you'll get another chapter by wednsday...BUT ONLY IF YOU REVIEW!!! Oh, and I thought you might be interested to know that the next chapter is pure fluff...lol... ^_^ 


	19. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing

A/N: Hey everyone....I'm sorry this chapter is a little later than I said it would be, but there was little I could do to help that. Anyway, its all fluffiness, and really isn't all that important to the plot, so if you don't like fluffies, I ask that you don't read this...  
  
In case you didn't already know, this chapter is going to be a song fic. Its to the song, 'I Don't Want To Close My Eyes' by Aerosmith from the Armageddon soundtrack..You'll find that I'll be using stuff from that soundtrack a lot during this fic...lol... R/R!!! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's characters or ideas...I also don't own any of the Aerosmith song lyrics.....  
  
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Last View:   
  
The silence between the two was broken when Numair lifted a hand to her face and tilted her chin up to look at him and he said, "Shall we go back to my rooms, Magelet?" These words were uttered breathlessly, and Daine was sure she felt her heart skip a beat at hearing them. Her breath caught, and unab to utter a single word in response, she simply nodded, eyes filled with tears.  
  
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Daine watched in a sense of utmost anticipation as she gazed into the eyes of her lover. For a brief moment, she could see them darken, as a flicker of an odd and passionate emotion flew through him. It seemed as if his thoughts were on the tip of his tongue, and yet he could not voice them. Some things were too important to waste by expressing through words.  
  
Letting her eyes dart to either side, Daine realized that the room was completely empty now. She looked back to him, her lips curling into a true smile. He allowed himself to grin back at his love, despite the fury of emotions flowing through his very being in this moment. He too let his eyes scan the room quickly, and upon assuring himself that none would see, he gripped her hand in his larger one, and turned to lead her off of the dance floor where they had stood, captivated.  
  
The young woman grasped his hand, silently accepting his offer. Hand in hand, he led her away and to the doors, which seemed so distant now. As they walked, it seemed as if they were walking for miles. After what seemed to the two and eternity, they reached the doors, which Numair pulled open with his spare hand, holding it open so that his love could step through. He soon followed after her, never letting her hand fall.  
  
The two lovers walked back to Numair's room in silence. Daine gripped his hand tightly, not wanting to let go. She felt just now, that if she were to break contact from the man next to her, he would slowly fade away from her, never to return. Daine would admit it now, she was afraid. She felt more fear now than she had ever felt in her entire life. It was one thing to be in misery when its all you have ever known, but quite another to be completely content with a life you're used to, and have it stripped away in the blink of an eye. That was how Daine felt now. She felt like her life, the one she loved, was fading away and was almost gone now. Tomorrow, she would see her last Tortallan sunrise. It just did not seem real to her.  
  
Before Daine knew what was happening, they had reached the mage's wing, and were soon standing in front of the door to Numair's room. Numair sighed, taking no further steps. Daine looked curiously at him, not understanding why he had stopped. The look on his face said it all. He looked hesitant, almost restrained. She watched as he hesitated for a brief moment, closing his eyes tight before taking a step towards the door.  
  
Slowly, he turned the brass knob, all the while muttering a spell under his breath to unlock it. Still holding that restrained look deep within his eyes, he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze and led her through the door. Daine had been here so many times before, but it seemed like a whole new place now. To her, it seemed as if she had never come here before. She was not here now for a lesson.  
  
  
  
Once inside, she let her eyes scan the room, almost as if it were a foreign land. He took her hand once more, and silently led her to a door towards the back of the room. Daine knew from experience that it led to the balcony. He opened it, letting the cool night air leak into the room. Soon, the pale light of the moon had seeped over the room like a blanket, providing a natural light for the room's occupants.  
  
Squeezing her hand lightly, Numair led his love through the door and out onto the balcony, intent on showing her the view he could have every night. Daine caught her breath immediately upon stepping out into the moonlight. It was so beautiful! In her eyes, it was too beautiful to be put into words. Maybe she only felt this way because this was her last night in Tortall, and she was admiring the beauty it had had all along, but just now, it seemed so different. Everything she had loved before, only seemed to multiply in greatness.  
  
"Its so beautiful!" Daine breathed, taking in the spectacular night's view. Before her, over the railing of Numair's balcony lay the entirety of the Royal forest, and if one stretched their eyes far enough, they could even see part of the glowing city of Corus. Up above all of this shone a brilliant full moon, alighting the night's sky with such splendor, that Daine had never seen before. It seemed as if the sky was a blanket of stars, not a cloud in sight. No, words could not ever begin to describe what she saw now.  
  
"I know," Numair mused, eyes revealing that in his mind he was in a distant land, far away from here. In his heart, he seemed to venture away, running from the problems and fury of emotions he felt. "I've come to look at it every night since I moved into this room." There was a brief silence as the two lovers stared into the expanse before them, captivated by the night's splendor. Soon, Numair added to his previous statement in almost a hushed tone, "I never tire of it, either." Numair sighed, mind deep in thought. It was his actions and the look deep within his eyes that gave Daine the impression that there was some sort of inner meaning to his words. A sort of symbolism perhaps. Daine had never been good at solving any of those sorts of puzzles, so she would not even begin to try this one.  
  
"I could stand out here all night, and I still wouldn't see all there is to see out there," Daine said, a sort of regret in her voice and mannerism. She did indeed regret that she would not get to experience more of Tortall. If she could have another chance to stay here, she would look around more. In her time here, it seemed as if she had missed so much, being busy with distractions of being a Wild Mage.  
  
"Daine, I feel the same way about something else in my life," Numair said suddenly, voice choked, yet urgent at the same time. This last statement made Daine realize that she had been right in thinking that Numair's thoughts were not on the beautiful view before them, but else where. " That something is you."   
  
Gasping upon hearing his words, Daine found herself speechless. She now felt oblivious, having not guessed where his thoughts had been venturing. "Daine," he continued, tugging his nose lightly, as if thinking. His eyes held a genuine, serious look. "You don't have to go through with this!" His voice was suddenly full of emotion, as he pleaded with her to listen. "You and I, we could leave, go into hiding. I know more spells that could hide us than there are fish in the sea!"   
  
Daine looked into his eyes, shocked at his sudden outburst. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it quickly, not entirely sure how to respond. In her sudden confusion, all she could find to say was, "But-but-" she stuttered, feeling frustrated when Numair simply sighed.  
  
"Don't you see?" He said, his hands flying threw the air to emphasize his point. "You don't have to go tomorrow! We can leave the palace, find a new start some where else. It could be only temporary, if you'd prefer." Daine was shocked to see that he was entirely serious about what he was saying. He himself had lived in hiding for almost two years, and those had, perhaps, been the most miserable years of his life. He had almost starved, being nothing more than a street magician. He could barely scrape up enough money in a week to buy one day's meal. "Daine, we could be together. We wouldn't have to be separated."  
  
Daine had to admit, she did like the idea of this last statement. She did not by any means want to go to Galla tomorrow, or ever for that matter, if it meant staying there. She wanted to be with Numair, of course, for that had been why she had accepted his marriage proposal. Now, this proposition was tempting. It took her a while though, to realize all the bad points involved, but she finally did. If she went along with what Numair was saying, they would both live under harsh conditions, perhaps going days without food. It was likely they would have no definite home, or shelter to come home to. Daine did not mind that so much though. If anyone knew what it was like to live under harsh conditions, she did. It was one of the other downsides, that troubled her. If she and Numair were to run off, and she didn't go to Galla, then war would surely be declared on Tortall. Galla and Scanra would unite against the country she loved. Being the state Tortall was in now, it was likely they would easily be crushed by the combined forces.  
  
"Numair, I can't do that," Daine said, trying to ignore the pleading look in his eyes. She could see that they were beginning to wet with tears, and she knew this was her fault. She had refused him, and it was likely he misunderstood her reasons.  
  
"Why not?" He asked impatiently, hurt sounding clearly in his voice. He looked anxiously at her, refusing to let her look away, dark eyes pleading.  
  
"Because if I don't go to Galla, Tortall will have to go into a war it can't win," Daine said, hoping he would understand where she was coming from. If only he knew that there was nothing she would rather do than go into hiding with him and not go to Galla. "Numair, it just wouldn't be fair of me to send our men to die like that. There would be a slaughter."  
  
Numair faced the floor, running his hand nervously through his mass of raven hair. Without warning, he began pacing, the stress clearly getting to him. "Numair-" Daine called to him, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder to stop his pacing. "I'm sorry-" She pleaded for him to stop, and finally he did, looking her in the eye as he did so. Tenderly, he reached out and gripped her shoulders.  
  
"No, Daine, you were right," he said shaking his head lightly. The moonlight lit up his face, making his eyes blaze with emotion, "I was getting out of control there."  
  
"Shhh," she soothed, knowing that he was on the verge of tears. Suddenly, as she was attempting to comfort him, she herself burst into tears. She hadn't seen it coming. It must have been a result of her holding in her emotions for so long. Not feeling able to stand any longer, she threw herself down on the love seat that had been placed out on the balcony.   
  
Numair was soon sitting down beside her, holding her hands in his two larger ones. "Daine, sweet, I'm sorry," he said gently, bringing up a hand to lightly stroke her cheek. She opened her eyes to better look at him. He cupped her face lovingly. "I was being selfish. I need to let you go, but its hard. I don't think I ever truly will."  
  
Her sobbing had slowly subsided by now, and she shook her head ever so slightly, "If you think I'm ever going to let you go, then you've got another thing coming," She said, voice clearly showing that she was sure of what she said. "We may be in two separate countries, but it doesn't mean we have to let each other go."  
  
"I wish I could think like that right now," Numair admitted, forcing a small smile for her sake. He wished he could be as strong as she was right now. He wasn't even the one being torn from his home. After a moment of sitting in silence, he said, "Daine, you and I shouldn't be thinking like this now. This could be the last time we ever see each other. I hate to even think that, but we've got to face the facts," his tone was serious, and to Daine, that was what was disturbed her the most. Deep down, she knew that he was indeed right in his thinking. "What I'm trying to say Daine, is that we both need to just accept what is going to happen tomorrow, but we need to forget about it until then. I don't know about you, but I want our last hours together to be a time we can cherish, not one we can remember as the saddest time we ever spent together."  
  
Daine continued to stay still, not moving an inch. Her eyes were transfixed on his own, and she fought in her mind for the right response. She knew he was right, and she wanted to tell him so. She also knew, how badly it would hurt tomorrow if she ignored her troubles tonight. Why did everything require so many choices to make? Slowly but surely, Daine nodded, afraid that if she responded with words, it would not come out the way intended. She had never been one to touch with words, of that much she was sure.  
  
Before Daine could comprehend what was happening, Numair had leaned forward, closing the short distance between them. She accepted him willingly, feeling a tingling pleasure as he eased his lips over her own. She felt her lips twist into a painful smile as he began to caress her mouth with his. It all seemed so inviting, and she felt herself caving. She closed her eyes slowly, letting herself fall deeper into the moment, but then snapped them open suddenly, realizing that she was afraid to close her eyes. She didn't want to miss a single second of gazing at him. Taking a closer look, she realized that he too was gazing at her, not closing his eyes as they both usually did. It wasn't the first time the two had been thinking similarly, if not completely the same.  
  
***Don't wanna close my eyes   
  
Don't wanna fall asleep   
  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby   
  
And I don't wanna miss a thing   
  
'Cause even when I dream of you   
  
The sweetest dream would never do   
  
I'd still miss you, baby   
  
And I don't wanna miss a thing***  
  
Reluctantly, Daine let her lips part from her lover's, an attempt to regain her breath. She inhaled heavily, gasping for breath.She looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled. Daine leaned her head forward to rest in the crook of his neck. Letting her ear rest against his chest, she listened intently to the rhythm of his heart. It was the most beautiful sound to Daine just now. In her mind, she played over and over the sound and tone of his voice when he told her that he loved her. She savored every moment of being in his presence right now, afraid of how it would feel to have to let him go.  
  
She could feel him gently running his fingers through her mass of smoky brown curls. Idly, he would wrap several strands around his fingers and then let them uncurl. Her lips curled into a small smile, letting her mind drift to images of their time together over the years. This brought only more smiles to her face, eyes watering with tears. "I don't want to leave you," Daine said idly, trying to block out the memories that were whizzing every which way in her mind. There was so much to think about, and so little time to think of it in.  
  
"I don't want you to leave me either," He said honestly, body suddenly tense. She could feel his hold on her body tighten as he pulled her closer.  
  
"I'll never get to marry you," Daine said, a tear trickling down her face. She wanted to marry him so badly. This was the man she loved, and had had every intension of spending the rest of her life with. This would be her last time with him, if the Gallans had it their way.  
  
Daine could hear Numair take in a sharp, painful breath at her last statement. Being he was the one who had proposed to her to begin with, she couldn't begin to imagine how hard of a subject this was for him. "You don't know how much I regret that," Was his choked response. Without shifting her body to look up at him, Daine knew that there were tears in his eyes. She could hear the pain in his voice.  
  
Hearing, and also feeling his pain, Daine could not stand to sit like this and do nothing to comfort him. Shifting her body and turning around in his lap, she shifted so that she was laying on her back and looking up at him. Pulling herself up quite a ways, she quickly placed a hand behind his head, pulling him down to meet her the rest of the way. Daine wished she could capture the look in his eyes when their lips met forever. He was shocked, yet pleased at the same tame.   
  
Almost immediately, Numair began deepening the kiss. Daine could feel an intense thunder in her heart and mind, booming through her head as if their were a raging storm around them. Daine tightened her grip on him by further burrying her fingers into his mass of raven black hair. Slowly, he removed his lips from hers to take a breath, but was back again before Daine had time to protest. This t he came down more roughly, caressing her lips teasingly.  
  
Daine lifted his spare hand with her own, and brought it up around her neck. As the kiss went on, he lightly stroked her shoulder blade with the hand she had placed there. He let his lips curl into half of a smile when he heard her moan with pleasure, deepening their kiss further. Lightly, Numair removed his lips from that of his lover's and began to gently brush his lips down the side of her face and neck. Idly, he would trace small patterns with his fingers on her back, sending chills of pleasure up her spine.  
  
***I don't wanna miss one smile   
  
I don't wanna miss one kiss   
  
I just wanna be with you   
  
Right here with you, just like this   
  
I just wanna hold you close   
  
Feel your heart so close to mine   
  
And just stay here in this moment   
  
For all the rest of time ***  
  
Despite the body heat the two lovers received from being pressed so closely to one another, Daine began to shiver ever so slightly. Her dress was made of a thin satin material, making it of little protection from the chill Tortallan night breeze. She ignored her drop in temperature and allowed her thoughts to focus only on the man before her.   
  
As Daine's shivers became more persistent, Numair began to realize that it was likely to be more than just trembling from the intensity of their warm contact. Almost reluctantly, he pulled his lips away and tilted her chin up so that he was gazing into her blue gray eyes. Just by laying a hand on her face, he could feel just how cold she was. He was tempted to jerk his hand away from the chill. "Daine, sweet, you're freezing!" He said raggedly, trying to regain his breath from their last kiss. He could feel his heart racing, the passion of the moment consuming him. No, he told himself firmly, I shant stray too far with her. As much as he continued to tell himself this, his mind would continue to travel to other places, fantasies.  
  
"I'm all right, Numair," Daine assured, curling closer to him, hoping that he would continue to kiss her. When he did not, she again looked up at him, and saw that there was that same odd emotion in his eyes that she had seen on several other occasions. It was a hesitant, restrained sort of look. Daine brushed this thought from her mind, deciding to think only of the present and worry about other things later.  
  
"Come, you should be indoors," He said gently, scooping her up in his arms. In his mind, he continued to assure himself that his intentions were for her best interest and that alone. "You'll catch cold in that thin dress."  
  
Lifting himself off of the bench, he lifted her along with himself. He was almost surprised when she threw no protest to his attempt at carrying her. Normally, she would refuse such a luxury, saying that she was very capable of walking. Numair pulled her tightly to his chest, shifting her body in his arms so that her dress fell down properly over her so that she was comfortable and covered. He began to carry her back indoors, kicking the oak wood door open with his foot. Once inside, he closed it behind him in the same fashion.  
  
Stopping by the couch in his main room, Numair tenderly set her down. He made sure she landed softly, head against the arm of the couch before he too sat down, moving in next to her. She sighed inwardly as he took her hands in his two larger ones, pulling her close to him so that she could snuggle into the crook of his neck as she always did.  
  
"Daine?" Numair called to his lover, voice soft. He lightly untangled his hand from her own, and brought it to rest tenderly on her shoulder.  
  
She turned her head slightly, so that she was looking partially at him. "Hmm?" she asked softly, staring at him intently from the corner of her eye.  
  
"Were you serious about accepting my proposal that night a week and a half ago?" Numair asked, voice hoarse. Even from her partial look at him, she could feel the heat radiating from his voice, and she could see the darkening of his eyes. Once again, like those times before, she could feel a wonderful fire burning within herself, a thunder in her heart. She could not get enough of this feeling, and wished only to push it further.  
  
Daine's eyes widened momentarily at the mere suggestion of her tricking him in such a way. "Do you think I'd lie about something like that, Numair?" Daine asked, voice serious, with a small amount of hurt at his accusation. By now, she had shifted her body completely around, so that she was looking up into his eyes as she lay sprawled in his lap.  
  
"No, Daine, its just that it still amazes me at how close I was to being a married man," Numair mused, mostly to himself rather than Daine. The young woman could see the thoughtful look in his eye, and despite the tense moment, she felt herself slightly amused by his train of thought. But was there more to it than what she was seeing on the surface?  
  
"Did you not think you'd ever get that far?" Daine asked, curious. She had assumed that since it had been Numair that had proposed to her, that he would have expected marriage at one point or another. She couldn't imagine him not being sure of something.  
  
"I honestly didn't think I'd ever marry. I had always been known for one night stands, and I never thought anyone would take me seriously so long as I had that name," Numair said, smiling lightly at his own misfortune. It really wasn't something to be laughed about. He had indeed defied the odds and found the perfect young woman for him, one that loved him as much as he loved her. The only problem was, he couldn't have her. It wasn't her choice to give herself away. At least, it wasn't anymore.  
  
"I don't care about any of that. I love you," Daine said, expressing through words exactly what she thought. She wanted to make sure that before she left, he knew for certain just how much she loved him.   
  
In response to her statement, Numair managed a crooked smile, but it faded all too soon for Daine. She knew what was bothering him, for it bothered her deeply as well. Slowly at first, Daine moved her face closer to his, close enough so that he could feel her breath upon his face. His eyes seemed to light up with her sudden actions, pleasing Daine. In a breathless tone, barely more than a whisper, Daine uttered these words, "Numair, before I go, I want to show you how much I love you."  
  
Numair's eyes grew wide, darkening with a fiery emotion that Daine had come to know well. "Daine-" Numair said, eyes showing his hesitation in going through with Daine's request, "Are you sure you want this?"  
  
"I've never been more sure," Were Daine's simple, yet effective words. She watched in approval as Numair simply nodded, agreeing.  
  
***I could stay awake just to hear you breathing   
  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping   
  
While you're far away and dreaming   
  
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender   
  
I could stay lost in this moment forever   
  
Every moment spent with you   
  
Is a moment I treasure ***  
  
Numair closed the short distance between them, easing his lips gently over Daine's. She accepting him with pleasure, throwing her arms around his neck to pull his closer to hers. After what seemed an eternity, Numair pulled away from the kiss, drawing in ragged breaths. Daine too found herself breathless, as she fought to take in air.  
  
Gently, Numair pulled her up in his arms, letting their lips meet lightly as he did this. She kissed him back with a passion, releasing some of the fire that burned wildly within her heart and soul. Without breaking their kiss, Numair walked to his bed chamber door, Daine in his arms and pulled closely to his chest. The door to his bed chamber was already slightly ajar, so he simply kicked it open the rest of the way with his foot. Carrying Daine through the door, he let her fall easily from his arms and down onto the scarlet coverlet of his bed.  
  
Daine did not even have time to blink before he was once again at her side, wrapping his arms firmly around her waste and shoulders. Daine snuggled closer to him, welcoming his lips as they brushed lightly against the side of her neck. She let her lips rest against the collar of his shirt as she buried her face in his chest. After a while, she pulled herself up, letting her lips brush his cheek lightly. He moaned slightly at her actions, feeling the desire rise up to unbearable levels in his heart.  
  
Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that they shouldn't be doing this. It was wrong. They weren't married yet, and even though he had done this before on several occasions with other women whom he had not been married to, it was different now. Those other women had been nothing more than flings to him; they didn't matter, for he didn't love them. He was in love with the woman who lay before him now. He had vowed to himself, while in the Divine Realms, that he would let them wait until their wedding night to go any farther than kissing. Should he really be breaking that vow now, no matter what the circumstance? I'm doing it for her, he told himself quickly, wanting to justify his actions. But was it just for her, just because she had asked, that he was doing this?  
  
Pushing all thoughts of doubt about the propriety of what he was doing now, he continued to rain kisses down the side of her face and neck. He soon moved down to her chest, kissing all of the exposed skin that the dress had left. He felt shivers of pleasure run down his spine as she began to kiss him as well. Every once in a while, she would plant a kiss on the side of his neck, or on his face. Unable to resist, Numair brought his lips up to hers, and kissed her fully. She responded to him almost immediately, kissing him back with a yearning.  
  
***Don't wanna close my eyes   
  
Don't wanna fall asleep   
  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby   
  
And I don't wanna miss a thing   
  
'Cause even when I dream of you   
  
The sweetest dream would never do   
  
I'd still miss you, baby   
  
And I don't wanna miss a thing ***  
  
As the desire built up within Numair's heart and mind, he knew he could take it no longer. He kissed her one last time, swiftly on her lips before moving his hands behind her back and fumbling with the ties on her dress. He could feel her trembling within his grasp, and once again felt doubt cloud his mind. Was she ready? Was he ready?  
  
Daine gasped, fighting to draw in air when she felt him begin fumbling with the ties of her dress. They had never gone this far before, so this was all new to her. She wanted this so badly that it hurt, but she still felt a sense of uncertainty. Unable to control herself, she began trembling without relenting.  
  
She began trembling more violently as she felt Numair undo the last tie of her dress and begin slipping it off. She lifted her body, helping him to remove her clothing. Her mind was in a fury of confusion and desire just now, and she wasn't sure if she should continue, or put a stop to this right now. She knew what she wanted to do, but was it the right thing?  
  
Daine soon lay before her lover clad only in her breast band and loincloth. She felt extremely bare and exposed, but she quickly pushed these unwanted thoughts away. Perhaps doubt was normal in a time such as this, she told herself constantly. Feeling a sense of instinct, she reached up to his chest as he once again brought his lips to her own. She began undoing the buttons to his black silk shirt, one at a time. She felt an odd sort of emotion when she felt him trembling within her grasp. Could he be as nervous as she herself was? Laying her head against his chest, she once again began listening to the rhythm of his heart, intrigued by it.  
  
***Laying close to you   
  
Feeling your heart beating   
  
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming   
  
Wondering if it's me you're seeing   
  
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together   
  
I just wanna stay with you   
  
In this moment forever, forever and ever ***  
  
Before long, Numair too was clad only in his undergarments. Though Daine could never have guessed, he felt very much the same way she did. He was nervous, and felt completely exposed, almost shy. Just as she did, he tried to brush these thoughts away; forget them. "I love you," he whispered softly into her ear, pressing his body closer to hers.   
  
"I love you too," she whispered breathlessly. Though he could not see it, her face was twisted into a smile. For the time being, she had completely forgotten about the fate she was to face in the morning's light. She had forgotten all about the Gallans that were coming to get her tomorrow and take her away. She forgot that she would be leaving Numair. None of it was real to her in this moment; it was wonderful.  
  
Daine looked over at her lover and gazed deeply into his darkened eyes. Once again, he held a hesitant look, as if he were having second thoughts. Daine didn't want him to think of such things in a time like the present. She felt her breath catch within her throat when she could feel his arm brush her thigh and move up to her breast band.  
  
Suddenly, his hands fell to his side as he moved his body completely away from her own. She felt suddenly cold now that he had moved away, and wondered what had caused this so suddenly. "I can't do this, Daine," he said, surrendering to his intense feelings of doubt. It would not be fair to her if he continued, and he knew that. No matter what she told him now, he could not go through with it. "It wouldn't be right."  
  
"Numair, I want this," Daine said, scooting over so that her body was once again pressed firmly against his. She felt him shiver lightly at this, and knew how hard his inner battle must be for him.  
  
"We aren't married," This was one of the main reasons that he felt doubt. He loved Daine, more than ever, and he knew this was what he wanted for her, for them.  
  
"If I'm not mistaken, that didn't seem to matter with those court dandies, Numair," Daine pointed out, a slight tone of hurt. Numair cringed at the mere idea that his hesitation was hurting her. He could not give in.  
  
"They didn't matter to me," Numair's voice begged her to understand what he was feeling. If only he could put his thoughts, his heart, into words. Then, she would understand. Whatever he would say now, would not do his true feelings justice, he knew. "They weren't like you. I love you. I want to marry you."  
  
Tears spilled from Daine's eyes as she heard him say this. It touched her deeply, making her feel so wonderful. But yet, she felt an intense sadness pour into her being, so much that she couldn't quite place a finger on it. She had to agree with him. It had been no more than a few minutes ago that she had hashed over similar thoughts, as the ones he voice, in her mind. She too, wanted to wait to take that next step until they were married. But they would not have that time. "You're right. You have no idea how much I feel the same way," Daine said truthfully, her voice mixed with sobs. Her tears continued to pour, and she felt a slight about of relief and comfort when Numair's arms snaked around her waste, and he pulled her to his chest. "We'll never get that chance though. We can't ever marry." Daine's voice was choked as she voiced these horrifying thoughts. She didn't want to even say such things, for she had not completely admitted them to herself until this very moment.  
  
"Don't say that," Numair whispered softly into her ear, pulling her more tightly to himself. "We won't be apart forever, I promise you. I'll see you again, someday soon, and you'll get to come back," Tears streamed steadily down his face as he said this. His voice was choked and raspy, letting his intense remorse show clearly. "Veralidaine Sarrasri, I will marry you someday."  
  
***Don't wanna close my eyes   
  
Don't wanna fall asleep   
  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby   
  
And I don't wanna miss a thing   
  
'Cause even when I dream of you   
  
The sweetest dream would never do   
  
I'd still miss you, baby   
  
And I don't wanna miss a thing ***  
  
Daine looked deeply into his eyes wanting desperately to believe that what he said now would truly come to pass someday. How could it though, without Tortall being put in danger? She just didn't see how he could promise her any of these things, and be able to keep his word at the same time. "Numair-" She started to say, but quick as lightening, he placed a finger to her lips, silencing her.  
  
"No, Daine, I know you don't think that will ever happen, but I swear to you, I'll die before I break my word to you. I'll marry you someday, and we'll start a family," His eyes showed clearly how deep in thought he was, though they were filled with burning tears. "Please, tell me you can believe that." He pleaded with her to believe him, voice soft and tear stricken.  
  
Daine nodded, barely moving her head at all. Tears were slowly trickling down her face, and once she got a look at her lover in the moonlight that shone in from the bed chamber window, she could see that he was in much the same state. Daine felt that it was a shame that they had both vowed not to think about tomorrow at all tonight, but here they were, not only thinking about it, but openly talking about. Daine wanted all of this to stop right now.  
  
As Daine felt the pressure of Numair's body crushed against her own begin to let up, she realized that he had slid his body down so that his head was resting on his pillow. She watched as he brought his hands up to his face. He buried his face in his hands, mind racing with a wide variation of thoughts, mostly unwanted ones. His body was soaked in tiny beads of sweat, and it wasn't until just then that she realized that she was not far off from that. Daine knew that she was sweating as a result of a troubled mind, not to mention stress. She shivered lightly, as she felt the chill of the night air reaching her bare skin. Numair's body no longer covered her as it had before, so she was cold as ever clad in nothing more than her under garments.  
  
Numair removed his face from his hands and looked up from where he lay, to see his lover shivering ever so slightly. He tenderly reached out a spare hand to her, letting it rest against her bare side. She felt his cold fingers rest against her body, and she jumped slightly. She felt a relief spread over her like a blanket when Numair proceeded to snake his arm the rest of the way around her waste, applying pressure to make her move down to where he lay. Once again their bodies were crushed closely together, giving off body warmth for each. Idly, Daine lifted her spare hand and began to run it down her lover's bare chest. Though she had know way of knowing this, Numair felt a series of chills move eerily down his spine as she performed this task.  
  
Despite the warmth each recieved from being so close to one another, both Daine and Numair were still rather cold. With this in mind, Numair lifted his body and pulled back the coverlet that covered his bed to reveal a burgundy goose feather down blanket, which he also pulled aside along with the first layer of maroon cotton sheets. Ge tenderly wrapped his arms around Daine's torso, and tucked her under the layers of blankets and sheets. He soon lifted himself and moved under the blankets to join her. She seemed, in a way, distant just now, and that troubled Numair. He didn't want thoughts of tomorrow to cloud her mind. He supposed though, that there was no stopping it.  
  
  
  
***I could stay awake just to hear you breathing   
  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping   
  
While you're far away and dreaming   
  
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender   
  
I could stay lost in this moment forever   
  
Every moment spent with you   
  
Is a moment I treasure***  
  
Almost timidly, Daine leaned over closer to Numair and kissed his cheek. She snuggled closer to him, sadness flowing through her veins when she realized that sleep was beginning to over take her. She didn't want to sleep tonight, not at all. Daine wanted to stay up, all night long, and gaze at her lover. She wanted to memorize every inch of him, log all of his features into her mind forever. Though his promises to her rang clearly in her mind, she still felt much doubt that they would ever come true. Numair may be the most powerful mage in the realm, but no mage, no matter how powerful, could prevent a war. It seemed that no one, especially not Numair, would be able to dig her out of this fix she had managed to create for herself. If only I had thought to get proper permission from the Gallan king, Daine thought sadly. She was sure, that had she requested it, that she would be granted it in a second. Back then, no one in Gallan had even a notion as to what wild magic was. They all though she was some odd child that had gone insane over the grief from the loss of her family.  
  
Beside her, she could hear Numair yawning. She got the idea that he too feared drifting off to sleep, but there wasn't much either could do to prevent it. It was a natural thing, that every mortal had to endure. Most of the time though, it was not a hindrance as it was now, but a relief. Most nights, Daine had welcomed sleep, for it meant a time to rest herself and recharge her energy to better work herself the next day. She had nothing to wake up for tomorrow, nothing at all.  
  
"Sweet dreams," Daine whispered into her lover's ear, as she watched his eye lids slowly shut, weighed down by sleep.   
  
He took in a sharp breath at hearing her words, but didn't waste time in replying, "Not even the sweetest dream could ever compare to you," His reply was quick, voice soft. Daine savored every word, a small smile playing on her face. It wasn't until she too began to drift off, that she realized that his words had been uttered in a regretful sadness. It was not a cheerful statement, as she had taken it.   
  
Again she felt her eyes watering, as she watched images and memories of her time with Numair flash before her. She was in a sleep of a sort, though she was still partially awake. She felt like thrashing this way and that, anything to make the images and memories stop. She did not, however, wish to disturb the sleep of her lover. In her mind, she saw images of him moving on in life, living without her. He looked to be a sorry sight, and from what he had told her, what more could she expect? Next, Daine saw images of what her life could be like of she stayed. She saw herself walking towards the altar where Numair stood. Everyone present was dressed in lavish finery, nothing less for this wedding. It was this image that troubled Daine the most. It was things like this that she wanted with all of her heart to happen. She didn't want to miss this, or anything else that would come if she spent the rest of her life with the man who lay sleeping beside her. "I don't want to miss a thing," she whispered before falling off into a complete slumber.  
  
***Don't wanna close my eyes   
  
Don't wanna fall asleep   
  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby   
  
And I don't wanna miss a thing   
  
'Cause even when I dream of you   
  
The sweetest dream would never do   
  
I'd still miss you, baby   
  
And I don't wanna miss a thing ***  
  
  
  
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A/N: Well, did you love it? Hate it? I'd appreciate some feedback from you guys....you've never failed to give it to me before, so I'll be surprised if you hold back now...Oh, and I do have a question for the lot of you. Did I take the whole fluff factor too far? Was this all too intimate? Was it not intimate enough? I really need to know what you guys think on these things.... Also, I thought I'd take this time to announce that the next chapter holds some very interesting things, so you'll want to review so you can read it! It includes Daine leaving, among other things......DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!! ^_^ 


	20. Wishing The Morning Never Came

A/N: Thank you guys so much for all of the reviews! I was overwhelmed by the amount I got for last chapter! Anyway, I guess its on to chapter 20..... This chapter is sad, mean it doesn't take the brightest crayon in the box to see that....lol.... I hope you enjoy, and don't you dare forget to review! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's awesome characters...nor do I own any of Vince Gill's song lyrics.....  
  
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Sunlight poured into the room, rippling like flowing water over the blankets and sheets that secured Veralidaine Sarrasri and her lover. Though the light blazed unbearably in the young woman's eyes, she clamped them tightly shut, refusing to greet the morning light. She sighed inwardly, begging her body to drift back off into sleep. Pleas, Gainel, she thought, take me back to my dreams. When nothing came to relieve her of the horrible task ahead of her, Daine groaned loudly, voicing her pain.  
  
She felt someone stir next to her, followed by a soft mumbling. Daine knew that rich, sweet voice well. As if by instinct, she nestled closer to her lover, pressing her bare back closer to his chest. Daine could feel his chest slowly rising and falling, his breath a beautiful rhythmic pattern. She listened intently, concentrating on the quiet sounds while he slept on. Gently, so as not to wake him she shifted her body in his arms until she faced him. Daine could feel the warm breath of her lover against her neck now, bringing her slight reassurance. For one brief moment, Daine forgot the real reason for her pain upon waking up. She forgot her dread of the morning light, and of the events to come. Now, all she wanted to do was concentrate only on her lover, memorizing his every feature. She wanted to implant him in her memory forever, to remember in days to come when he would be with her no longer.  
  
Daine trailed her hand tenderly down his muscled chest, enchanted by the feel of his soft skin. She felt a small chill fly down her spine, sending her body shivers as she felt the intense feeling of closeness to her lover just now. In her mind, she could sense every place that their bodies touched, making her feel a wonderful sensation.  
  
Suddenly, she felt his body tense within her grasp. Looking up, she could see his eyes beginning to flutter open. Upon seeing the light of the new day, he reacted in much the same way she had. He groaned loudly, trying to block it out. When Numair saw that she was awake already, he looked up suddenly alert. Numair's face bore no emotion nor sign of life. To Daine, he looked n as if someone had taken away his most prized possession. In a sense, she was exactly right. "Say something," Daine whispered, hoping that he would, begging him to speak his mind. She could not stand them being silent, not now. The quiet seemed to haunt her, a constant reminder of what she must soon learn to live with.  
  
Numair opened his mouth as if to speak, his dark eyes baring down on her with an unbearable force. Daine drew in a sharp breath ti better sustain the tension she felt. It was as if the world was crumbling down around her, tearing apart that which she treasured most. "I-.......," Numair whispered in reply, voice ragged. He let his sentence hang, feeling completely unsure as to how to complete it.  
  
Though Daine fought back the sudden swirl of emotions with all of her might, the tears still came. They began spilling down her cheeks like running water. She felt a tiny fleck of comfort well up in her heart when she felt his calloused hand brush her cheek, cupping it lovingly. Using a gentle finger, Numair wiped away her tears with his stray finger. Bringing her hand up to her face, she gripped his arm with her own, pulling it closer to her face. She then lightly brushed her lips against his skin, but then withdrew them hastily, unable to take it. Now, her tears fell harder and faster. "This is killing me inside," Daine whimpered in between tears, letting herself slide in closer to her lover's waiting arms.  
  
"I know," he voiced in reply simply, soothingly. "This whole thing is killing me too. I don't know if I can get through it." He smoothed her hair back tenderly, letting his fingers rub gently against the skin of her face.  
  
"Don't you dare let go," Daine warned, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. She drew him to her, holding him tightly "Because I won't." Daine whispered these last words into his ear. She could feel his body tense at this statement, but she brushed that thought aside.  
  
"Nor will I," Numair voiced in response, clinging to Daine as if his very life depended on it. His face was so close to hers, that she could feel his lashes brush against her skin as he blinked.  
  
Numair couldn't believe that this day had come. When he had first heard the news, it had seemed like the time to say good-bye would come upon them quickly. Perhaps it had, but Numair could not tell. He had been too caught up in the moment, during those times. Now, it seemed as if all of the events of the past two weeks were in the distant past. He just couldn't believe it was finally time to let go.  
  
He had offered to run away with her. He had thought of that single idea every day since he had learned that she would soon leave him. Constantly, he would fumble it over in his mind, further perfecting it. It had been that idea, that tiny flicker of hope, that had pulled him through this last two weeks. They had been the worst days of his life by far, even worse than his first days in Tortall as a starving street magician.  
  
Numair hadn't counted on her turning him down. He had been so sure that she would be willing to follow him to the ends of the earth. Maybe he had been wrong, but then again maybe he was just wrong now. He shouldn't think any less of her just because she wouldn't go into hiding with him If this was so, then why did he feel so bitter on the inside about it? To be truthful, he was angry at himself over it all, not Daine. He couldn't be angry with her now, or ever again. He didn't want to even set foot down that path.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Numair," Daine voiced between tears, sobbing uncontrollably. This jerked him back to his horrible reality once more. Directing his full attention to her, Numair looked deep into her eyes, waiting for her to continue.  
  
When she did not further explain herself, Numair prompted her by asking, "For what, sweet? You haven't done anything."  
  
"Yes, I have," Daine sobbed, no longer trying in vain to get herself under control, "I want to marry you so badly, Numair, but its my own gods cursed fault that I'm being taken away."  
  
"Daine, see reason," Numair soothed, gently caressing her bare arms with his hands. "None of this is your fault! If there's someone to blame, its that thieving ruler of Galla." As he said these words, his eyes blazed momentarily with anger. In that exact moment, Daine looked away in shame, so she did not see the hate that he felt for Jarlath.  
  
"Numair, I didn't run off with you last night when you offered," Daine was clinging tightly to him.  
  
"And you know what, Daine?" Numair asked, voice revealing that he was on the verge of tears. "You were right. If we ran off together, it would put Tortall in danger, and innocent people would have to suffer. It was stupid of me to even suggest it."  
  
"But we'll never marry. We'll be a country apart!" Daine lifted her head from his chest and gazed deeply into his dark eyes. When he looked back at her, he could tell just how sincere she was, and it hurt. It hurt him so bad to know that she would be gone today, as soon as they got up to dress.  
  
"Daine, its all right with me if we have to wait forever," Numair voiced in a hushed tone. There was the shadow of a smile playing at his lips, warming her heart effectively.  
  
***If we have to wait forever that's all right  
  
If you say let's run away we'll leave tonight  
  
I'll do anything you ever ask me to  
  
Girl the reason my heart's beating is for you  
  
And you alone***  
  
Feeling so stricken by his words, Daine leaned forward and brushed his lips roughly with her own. He seemed to be slightly taken aback by her sudden change of ideas, but he was willing to go along with it all the same. Daine could feel a chill run up her spine as he slid his cold hand up her back to rest in her hair. She was pleased when he began to apply pressure, pushing her face closer to his, if possible.  
  
Breaking the kiss for a moment, Daine took in a ragged breath. Despite the wonderful feeling she got from the kiss they had shared, she could not shake the thoughts and inner images of what else would be happening today. Last night, it had been possible to ignore everything. Today was a different story entirely, however. It made Daine want to scream, though she held back.   
  
"Numair, are you sure you don't just want to move on, find someone else?" Daine asked shakily, afraid of what his answer might be. In her heart, she already knew that he would immediately refuse the mere idea of moving on, but she could not help but fear other wise. If she wasn't in Corus, how was she to ever know what he did? The thought alone, of what might go on while she was in Galla made her blood boil.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," His eyes were sincere, his words simple, yet assuring. Daine looked at him in scrutiny. Should she believe him? Did she even have a choice? Yes, she did have a choice, and she did believe him. That still didn't change the facts of what could happen. He may be sincere now, but would he be in a year, or even in a few months?  
  
"How can you be sure, how can you say that so easily?" Daine voiced her worries openly. What was there to hide from him at this point? Numair shot her a quizzical look, eyebrows moving close together. "Its not even a sure thing that I'll ever see you again." At this last comment, a tear fell down her face.  
  
Numair frowned at this, wanting it all to go away. "Daine, don't say that," Numair said softly, cupping her face with his hand. "I promise you that today won't be the last time I ever see you. I'll do whatever it takes. I don't want this to end here. Remember what I promised you last night?"  
  
Daine nodded, still crying. He felt a tear roll down his face as well. "I meant that. I'll die before I break that promise to you, Daine," Numair's voice was soft and comforting, yet begging for assurance at the same time. In this moment, it was very difficult to determine who exactly was the comforter and who the comforted.  
  
"I just want this to be over," Daine voiced, barely more than a whisper. As if by instinct, and in search of further comfort, she buried her face in his chest. She felt a warm sense rush over her, covering her like a blanket as she felt the feeling of her face against his bare chest.  
  
"Me too," Numair replied, idly running his fingers through her mass of smoky brown curls.  
  
"I guess there is some sort of price for every choice we make," Daine said, after a few minutes of sitting in silence. Numair shifted his body at her comment, clearing his throat. It seemed as if he were analyzing her words in his mind, trying to dig out the meaning behind them.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Daine recognized that this was one of the few times he did not have full knowledge about everything concerning her. Though she hated to admit it, many times he knew more about her than she herself did.  
  
"Because I don't necessarily have to go through with what I'm about to do today," Daine said, voice pained. Numair could understand why. He had felt very similar when he had fled from Carthak all those years ago. "The cost for me personally is great, but if I didn't pay it, it would cost others a lot more."  
  
Numair sighed, feeling an odd emotion at the great wisdom in her words. He felt a small smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. He squeezed her shoulder gently with his hand, giving in to the smile that wanted to show on his face. "You're very right, Magelet," he said simply, voice beaming for that split second. Just for that short amount of time, he had felt something other than sadness this morning. He had felt a sense of pride.  
  
***There's a price you pay for every choice you make  
  
We'll have our day no matter what it takes  
  
I'll be there for you whatever we go through  
  
Girl the reason life's worth living is for you  
  
And you alone***  
  
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Alanna groaned loudly as she awoke. It already felt like a rotten day, and she had only been awake for less than a minute. Just now, she was very comfortable in her many layers of down blankets and goose feather pillows. The gods knew, she hated the cold. She had been that way since she was a little girl. She had always envied Thom, who, in her eyes, had no fears for such things. She had soon learned that her twin brother did indeed have many fears, fears the she herself did not have.  
  
Throwing off her many layers of blankets, Alanna gasped as the cold air of her bed chamber washed over her body. She wore only a thin shift, making much of her body vulnerable to the cool morning air. She began shivering immediately as she swung both of her legs over the side of her bed, and pulled herself to her feet. Gods, I wish I had worn socks, Alanna thought, as soon as her bare feet made contact with the hard wood floor of her bed chamber. She longed for the warm rugs on the floor of her and George's bed chamber at the Swoop.  
  
Scrambling over to the privy door, Alanna fumbled for the soft piece of cloth that was her robe that she had left handing the door handle. She quickly slipped into it, feeling somewhat of a relief from the morning cold. It was then that a different kind of cold began to wash over her. One that was the knowledge of what today would bring. Her mind flashed back to the ball the night before, and in her mind's eye, she could see her friends, Daine and Numair, in each other's arms, swirling gracefully across the dance floor. She could see Daine snuggling closer into the arms of her 'teacher', and him welcoming her closeness and asking without words for more.   
  
Against her will, Alanna felt her eyes begin to sting with tears, and finally one roll down the side of her face. Reaching up in frustration, she wiped it away effortlessly with her finger, only to find that more were soon falling. Alanna hated situations l this, when she could not control what was happening. She was meant to be a Champion, a knight, a warrior, someone who always had complete control of all situations. This ordeal with Daine, it was a new kind of situation for Alanna, for it was the first time in Alanna's life, that she could do nothing to fix the wrongs created by evil men.  
  
When she thought of the ball from the previous night, Alanna not only thought of Daine and Numair's oddly close dancing, but also of the fact that Daine had spent the entire time with Numair, and hadn't even bothered saying a single word to herself or Onua. It was a rather hurtful thought, but if Alanna's suspicions were correct, she could understand why Daine had done things that way. Alanna herself knew what it was like to be in love with someone. She could not even begin to imagine being taken away from her George, without knowing that she would one day be allowed to return. Yes, if Daine was indeed in love with Numair, she did not even want to try imagining what sort of pain the couple were going through this very moment.  
  
"I should go and see her," Alanna said to herself, biting her lip as she thought on it. She had many things she would like to say to the younger woman, before she was to leave. Alanna imagined that the Gallans will have arrived before the noon bell. "I'd best get a move on then."  
  
With that decided, Alanna walked over to her dresser, and splashed water on her face from her pale blue porcelain water basin. She then reached for her hand towel which hung on a hook to her right, and dried her face. Satisfied with getting the sleep out of her eyes, Alanna made her way to the closet, and pulled out a pair of her normal tan breeches and a scarlet colored shirt. She slipped quickly out of her robe and night shift and then hastily threw on her day's clothing, hoping to be ready in a hurry so that she could catch Daine alone, before Numair had come to see her as she knew he would, no matter if they were more than friends or not.  
  
Once dressed, Alanna hastily ran a brush through her unruly mass of red hair. She was easily satisfied with it only looking partially correct, and she placed her brush back down onto her dresser. During the time it took to dress herself, Alanna had decided not to stop by the Mess Hall for breakfast, for she did not think she would have time to eat and then also get to Daine before Numair did. If she missed this time while Daine was alone, then she would not get the chance to speak to her in private again for some time, maybe not ever. If she got to Daine's rooms, and found that Numair was already there, she would leave them to say their good-byes in private, understanding full well what was on their minds. It would be cruel to separate them this morning, no matter how much Alanna wanted to speak with Daine.  
  
After Alanna was fully satisfied with her appearance, she exited her bed chamber, and then her rooms entirely. She immediately entered the main hallway of the palace; one which lead to every other hall of the palace. Alanna knew from experience that Daine's rooms were rather close to her own. She had spent many a night talking with Daine into the late hours of the night in Daine's rooms. Often times, it would make Alanna feel less home sick for the Swoop, and she was thankful for that extra comfort.  
  
Sighing, Alanna made her way through the hall, and to Daine's rooms. She soon found herself standing on Daine's door step. Alanna hated to admit it, but she felt slightly nervous to visit Daine on a morning such as this. The young woman as likely to not be in the best of moods, her emotions likely in a tangled mess. Alanna could completely understand that, and she hoped that she could help. The problem was, she could think of nothing to say to Daine that would even begin to comfort her in the smallest way. Alanna knew that if it were she herself in Daine's position, nothing anyone could ever say to her would make her feel reassured. She would feel lost and betrayed, among other things. Also, Alanna knew she would be pining over her lover, and how she would soon be taken from his grasp.  
  
Finally finding in her heart the proper things to relate to her young friend, Alanna reached out a hand and knocked lightly at the door. She waited a few moments, but heard no sound of movement from within. She heard no rustle of blankets, no scrambling of feet, not anything. Starting to feel a slight amount of worry, Alanna knocked again, this time louder and more insistent. Again she was met by silence. Her heart began racing wildly, and her mind jumping to conclusions. Alanna had enough of sense to know by now that Daine was not in her rooms. This brought Alanna to the question of where her young friend had gotten off to at this early hour in the morning. Alanna did take it into account that this was no normal morning for Daine, and she should thus not expect normal behavior from her. This last thought did not, however, comfort Alanna in the slightest way. In fact, it only made her more worried.  
  
Alanna turned away from the door quickly, and leaned her burly frame against the nearest wall. Where should she look first? What was going on? It was as these last questions whirred through her head that it all clicked for Alanna. Daine was not only gone, but she had likely run off. Why didn't Alanna think of it before? It made perfect sense, and in many ways it fit Daine's personality and past behavior. After all, the young woman had spent almost a year stuck in wolf form and running wildly through the woods of Galla. How could Alanna, or anyone else, expect her to return to that dreaded place, without her first pulling some stunt like this? Yes, Daine must have run off. Alanna was sure that she would have done the same, had it been her.  
  
"Oh Goddess, where should I look first?" Alanna asked, more to herself than to the Goddess. Alanna knew that she had to find Daine. She was certain that the young woman could easily take care of herself, as she had done it before at a much younger age, but that was not what Alanna was worried about. She was worried about what would happen to Tortall if Daine was not found. If the Gallans came today to get a Wild Mage, and they went home empty handed, it was a sure thing that Galla and Scanra would declare war on Tortall. That could not happen, for if it did, a serious loss and possible destruction would fall on the country Alanna loved. At this last thought, Alanna began to wonder how Daine could just run off as she had. That did not matter in the present, though. All that did matter, was that she find Daine and talk sense into her, no matter how much she didn't want to.  
  
Alanna's mind immediately traveled to that of Numair. If anyone could find Daine, he could. He knew her the best out of everyone in Tortall, and was, of course, their best hope. Not only that, but Alanna had reason to believe that Numair had created a focus of Daine some months ago, after their arrival back home from Carthak. If Numair did not know off hand where to find Daine, then he could use his magic to find her. She just hoped he would cooperate, and forget any sort of feelings he might have had for Daine. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things, she knew.   
  
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Daine found herself fitting so comfortable in the crook of Numair's arms. The feeling of his lips lightly grazing her skin was so wonderful and uplifting, that at times, Daine could not help but gasp. She found her mind drifting off to far places, taking her from the havoc this day was causing. Daine could feel a tingling pleasure as she felt her lover begin to trace a line down the bare skin of her back, gently caressing her as he did. She moaned in pleasure, wanting him never to stop.  
  
Feeling unable to resist, Daine rolled her body over, so that she was looking up at him. His eyes looked back at her, pain written clearly in them. Daine knew that despite the wonderful feeling each of them got from the other's touch, it was causing them more pain than anything else. She forced a small smile, for his sake, just before moving her face closer to his, and letting her lips ease gently over his own. Numair seemed to freeze for a moment, unsure of himself. He soon gave in to her inviting demeanor, and wrapped an arm protectively around her waste. He could feel her lips curl into a smile at his gesture. "Mmmmmm," she moaned, adding more to their kiss by the second.  
  
"We-we should get up soon," Numair fought with himself as he voiced these words. He did not mean them, not at heart. It was his rational side, the one he hated right now, that meant these words.   
  
Daine knew he was right. What would the Gallans think if they arrived for her, and she was no where to be found? That in itself could start a war, if Jarlath was the way she remembered him. Though she had never actually met the king of Galla, Daine had heard countless stories in her childhood of how unjust and cruel he was. "No," Daine murmured, voice muffled as she buried her face in her lover's chest. Her face was set defiantly, as if she could really stop her own fate by a look.  
  
Numair nodded, understanding fully what sort of inner struggle Daine was going through. She had a choice now, and she had to walk into this. She could not turn back, or take any other path, and she knew it; he knew that she knew it. Saying that she was being forced to go to Galla today was not entirely true. Daine had the choice to refuse, to run away and never come back. They could have been together then, but things can't always go the way people want them to. There would be dire consequences if Daine were to run off, and both she and Numair knew it. As much as Numair hated to admit it to himself, Daine was walking away from him today of her own free will. No one was making her.  
  
Despite these new found thoughts that were racing wildly through Numair's mind, he did not blame his love. She could not defy her own nature, what she was born with. She could not do that any more than he could. His Daine was born to be a hero, to save people. If she ran away with him and did not go to Galla as was expected of her, she would be signing away the lives of countless innocent people. It was not in Daine's nature to put others at risk. It was however, her nature and destiny to sacrifice herself in the place of others. That was what she was doing today, and nobody, not even herself, could put a stop to it. Numair wished more than anything that he could though.  
  
Suddenly, Daine's voice broke the enchanted silence between them. " Numair?" Her voice seemed to question his very being. Numair swallowed hard, pausing a brief moment before answering her call to him.  
  
"Yes, sweet?" he answered, voice quivering slightly. He had not been able to speak properly all morning. It was a wonder to him how he managed to speak at all.  
  
"Teach me one last thing before I leave today," Daine's request seemed simple enough, but her tone was far to serious and deep for him to believe its simplicity for a second. He began to let himself worry as to what she wanted. Whatever it was, he already wanted more than anything to give it to her.  
  
"Anything," Numair whispered, voice hushed and raspy. He meant what he said; he would give her anything now. As if enchanted by a spell, Numair lifted a hand up to his chest and held it directly above his heart. It beat faster now than he could ever remember it beating before. He did not have to wonder what the cause of this was.  
  
"Teach me how to say good-bye," At this last statement, a tear r slowly down Daine's face. Numair's eyes widened at the site of her just now. She had shed countless tears this past week and a half, but for some reason he was affected more now by her crying than ever before. It seemed so wrong now, so out of place. He hated to see her like this, and vowed to do anything to make it stop.  
  
***Oh you and you alone are with me from now on  
  
Even if I never see your face again  
  
The love that you have shown is unlike anything I've known  
  
We both know its just a matter of when***  
  
  
  
"I wish I knew, Magelet," Numair said after a while of thinking. He had no answer for her question. If he did, then he would not be feeling so torn apart just now. He would be able to let her go, and not shed a single tear. If he knew the secret of saying good-bye, then he would teach her all there was to know about the subject, so that she could move on when she left today. Deep down, he wanted what was best for her, and right now the best thing for her would be to forget him, and find someone else in Galla. Since there was no way for her to stay in Tortall with him, he wanted her to find happiness in her new home. " I wish I could find all the right words to say good-bye to you today, but I can't. I don't know a thing about saying good-bye, at least not in a situation like this. It just isn't something I can teach you, Daine."  
  
"Then how do you say the words that you don't have the heart to say?" Daine's voice was pleading with him to help her find all of the answers that he could not find. Though he hated to admit it, Numair Salmalin was stumped. Sighing, he began to run his hands through his unruly hair.   
  
"Daine, I-" Numair was about to respond to her, admitting to her that he was baffled by this whole line of questioning. He was, however, interrupted by a soft rapping at the door to his main chambers.  
  
***I wish that we could just turn back the hands of time  
  
To find a way to have your world fit into mine  
  
I'll keep dreaming that some day it all comes true  
  
Girl the reason my heart's breaking is for you  
  
And you alone***  
  
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A/N: Ok, I know that I told you guys that this would be the chapter in which Daine leaves, but I guess I lied...I just saw the perfect opportunity to leave a cliffy, and I took it...come on, you've got to admit that it makes things more interesting...*sighs* fine, I WILL give you a few hints as to the content of the next chapter... First off, it'll be called 'Exposure and Departure' and I'm sure you can pretty much get what I'm hinting at....also, I'll probably be using the same song that I used in this chapter.....REVIEW, or mark my words you will get NO MORE chapters! ^_^ 


	21. Never Say GoodBye

A/N: Hey everyone! I told you I'd take care of that nasty cliffy if I got reviews, so here I am.....Perhaps if I'm lucky, I can find a way to throw in a cliffy or two in THIS chapter...hehehe.....But I am truly, very sorry about taking so long to update! You see, since this story is going to be so long, and it is no where near done (I've only scratched the surface), I thought it to be best for my own sanity that I take a break and work on something else. And, I did just that. Some of you have been reading the fic I started, Wolfish Desires, and I'm pleased. But, I've finally started to feel the urge to write for this fic again! *does dance* Don't worry, I haven't forgotten Wolfish Desires! In fact, I'm almost done with the next chapter for it, so don't fret! Just read what I've done for this one, and R/R! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any Tamora Pierce characters or ideas, nor do I own any of Vince Gill's lyrics.....  
  
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"Daine, I-" Numair was about to respond to her, admitting to her that he was baffled by this whole line of questioning. He was, however, interrupted by a soft rapping at the door to his main chambers.  
  
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        Daine nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the soft rapping on the main chamber of Numair's rooms. It meant only one thing to her, and that was that it was time for her to go. In her mind's eye, she could see without even opening that door that it would be a page, come to deliver the message that the Gallans had arrived and were waiting for her, that she must go. Had she been able to think more rationally just now though, it was probable that she would have realized that no one would guess to look for her in her teacher's rooms. She was not thinking rationally, and though she did not know it, neither was Numair.  
  
        Numair too had the same reaction as Daine. His eyes grew wide with a newly found fright as he heard the rapping on the door. It seemed to taunt him, laughing at his paralyzed form that lay sprawled on the bed, unable to defend his only love. As Daine looked on at him, his eyes looked hollow to her, almost haunted. It sent a silent shiver up her spine, giving her chills.  
  
        Faintly, Daine thought she could hear her love mumble, "I'm not ready for this," just as his face flew forward, pressing his lips to hers. Half of her told her that she had to push him away and leave now, as was her duty. The other half of her said that duty could wait, that she had a different emotion to obey just now.  
  
        The rapping on the door soon became more insistent, revealing that the one knocking was excited over something or other. In the back of her mind, as their kiss went on, Daine thought she could hear the familiar voice of the Lioness calling out to them from outside. She quickly pushed that thought away, not wanting to think of anything but the man before her that she never wanted to leave.  
  
        Giving in to the rational side of herself, Daine began to slowly pull out of her lover's grasp, starting by removing her lips from his. He groaned, as if in pain, and tried to pull her back. "Numair, no," Daine said sadly, reaching up a spare hand to dry her eyes, "I have to go."  
  
        "Not yet," he pleaded, gently squeezing her hands. He held her two hands in his larger ones, refusing to let go. Daine looked into his pleading dark eyes, and could not help but give in to him. Slowly, she lowered her head back to his, letting their foreheads touch. Though she had not yet allowed her lips to touch his, he made that first move. Tenderly, and filled with love, he eased his lips over hers, caressing her lips with much passion. Daine blocked out the rapping on the door, which had now turned into persistent banging. It was as if it did not exist just now. All that was real to her was the feeling of her lover's lips over her own, and the taste of his breath as it mingled with hers.  
  
***All I know  
  
Is everything is not as it's sold  
  
but the more I grow the less I know  
  
And I have lived so many lives  
  
Though I'm not old  
  
And the more I see, the less I grow  
  
The fewer the seeds the more I sow***  
  
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        Alanna felt panic begin to wash over her as sweat began forming in tiny beads on her face. Why wasn't he answering? Somehow, Alanna got the idea that he was avoiding her. What if he knew something about Daine's sudden disappearance? Knowing Numair, she would never be able to pry it out of him if he did not wish for her to know. "For Tortall, I have to find Daine!" Alanna whispered furiously to herself. She didn't want to force Daine to leave today, but it had to be done. The country she loved and called her home would be thrown into peril if Daine did not go.  
  
        "Numair Salmalin, open this door!" Alanna hollered, her voice carrying. She knew that if he was indeed in his rooms, there was no way that he had not heard her calling to him by now. This made her all the more vexed with her tall friend, and she hit his door all that much harder. "Numair, I know you're in there!" Alanna tried again, raising her voice louder, "Daine's gone missing!"  
  
        When Alanna still found no response from inside, or for that matter any sign that her friend was even in there, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Testing the lock with her Gift, Alanna found that the man had indeed forgotten to spell it. She felt for the first time that morning a tiny amount of success. Thrusting her hand into the pocket of her breeches, Alanna dug out a tiny leather pouch that buttoned shut with a tiny silver button. She hastily unbuttoned it to reveal her set of lock picks that George had given her as a Midwinter gift years ago. Over the time she had had them in her possession, Alanna had found them to come in great use on many occasions.  
  
        Alanna quickly pulled out a pick that seemed to be fitting for the type of lock used on Numair's door. She had used this same pick many times on other locks at the palace, and she assumed they were all the same for the most part. Her swift thinking proved lucky, for the lock soon clicked open, allowing her to easily turn the handle and let herself in.  
  
        Once inside, Alanna let her eyes scan her friend's main chamber. Seeing nothing out of place, everything as it always was, Alanna knew that he probably had not run off with Daine. He was probably here somewhere, and she would find him. Instead of calling out, Alanna turned to check in his bed chamber, thinking that he must be sleeping at this early hour. For the time she had known Numair Salmalin, he had never been much of a morning person.  
  
        Reaching a hand out, Alanna grasped the handle to his bed chamber, thinking in the back of her mind that she could hear movement and voices from within. She pushed that thought away, and opened the door. She gasped in surprise by what she saw, her arm dropping to her side slowly, as if frozen from shock. She stared on at the scene before her, mouth gaping open. For there on the bed before her lay Veralidaine Sarrasri and Numair Salmalin, both of the people she had been searching for.  
  
        "By the Great Mother Goddess," Alanna voiced in little more than a whisper. She brought her hand up to rest at her lips, where she nervously bit her nail. What had she stumbled into?  
  
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        Daine felt her heart stop suddenly when she heard a gasp coming from somewhere in Numair's bed chamber. Before she had even pulled out of Numair's grasp and opened her eyes, her mind raced wildly with horrifying conclusion. Not today, was all she could think, not on my last day here.   
  
        Almost fearfully, Daine roughly pulled from Numair's grasp, just as he did the same. They each jerked their heads up to meet their intruder at the same moment, each receiving the same shock. "Alanna!" Daine all but screamed. Daine did not know who she had expected, but she most certainly had not expected the Lady Knight to be the one standing at the foot of Numair's bed. Looking at her friend, she saw that her mouth was gaping open, spare hand brought up to cover her lips. Her other hand was playing nervously with strands of her fiery red hair.  
  
        Hearing Daine call out her name in surprise, Alanna crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eye brow at the two laying beneath the covers. From what Alanna could see, both Daine and Numair were clad in nothing but their undergarments, a sight she thought she would never see. Alanna cleared her throat, foot tapping impatiently against the hard wood floor. Her two friends looked positively horrified, and she did not have to wonder why.   
  
        Alanna watched in amusement as Numair opened his mouth, attempting to speak. No words came out though, only barely audible choking sounds. Unable to help herself, she broke her stern demeanor and let a smile stretch across her features. Letting out a small chuckle, she shook her head in amusement at the two, letting her eyes travel away from them and to the floor. It was during the time that Alanna was studying the wood grain in the floor that someone finally found the courage to speak up.  
  
        "I'm fair certain you'd like an explanation now?" Daine spoke, voice shaking slightly. Looking into the younger woman's blue gray eyes, the Lioness could see clearly just how hard Daine was trying to be sure of herself as she spoke. Alanna had to give her friend credit for that, for she could not imagine herself being so brave in a situation like this.  
  
        Again, Alanna emitted a light chuckle of amusement, shaking her head. She looked from Daine to Numair, thinking to herself how perfect the picture seemed, no matter how odd. "No, Daine, its quite clear, actually," Alanna said, voice alive with laughter. Suddenly, and to everyone's surprise, Alanna's laughter faded, her grin replaced with a frown. "But.....this means...." She let her sentence hang, eyes suddenly filled with disappointment. From the look both of her friends gave her, they fully understood what she had meant to say, though she had not bothered to voice it.  
  
        Daine's eyes fell downward, focusing on the ruffles and folds of the blankets that concealed herself and her lover. She bit her lip, once again letting herself remember what had gotten herself in this position in the first place. She was leaving today and that was why disappointment and pity shone clearly in her friend's eyes. "Daine, Numair, I'm so sorry for the both of you!" Alanna said, eyes grief stricken. The lady knight seemed unable to contain herself any longer.  
  
        Neither Daine nor Numair would look up to meet Alanna's gaze. They didn't want to face her, or anyone else; not today. Alanna noticed their reaction to her immediately, and she did not speak another word, not knowing what to do or say. Finally, Numair spoke up, speaking for the first time since Alanna's surprise arrival. "Alanna, what is it you came for?" He asked, almost coldly. He did not want to be interrupted this morning, and though he knew he was being selfish, he could not help it. He felt oddly exposed just now, as if someone had invaded his privacy. He knew this had not been Alanna's intention, but he still felt slightly annoyed.  
  
        Not missing the kind of emotion in his words for a moment, Alanna knew where she was not wanted and she did not hold it against her friend. In fact, she completely understood. "I went to talk to Daine, but when I didn't find her, I was afraid she'd run off," Alanna explained what had happened,"That's why I came to you, Numair. I figured you would have some idea of where Daine had run off to, and if you didn't, I already knew that you had a focus of her and that you could easily find her."  
  
        This was news to both Daine and Numair. Neither had had the slightest notion that anyone knew about their new found relationship, and especially not the focus of Daine that Numair had in his possession. Daine had always assumed that she was the only one who knew it even existed. "But-what-how did you know?" Numair stuttered, completely baffled as to how the lady knight could have possibly known about his focus. He had gone to great lengths to keep it hidden, and it was a bit of a disappointment to find out now that he had failed and at least one person knew of his secret.  
  
        "Do you remember that time that I was out of a certain herb I needed for one of my messes, and I asked you for it?" Alanna asked, wanting to make her explanation quick so that other matters could be settled. When Numair nodded, she continued, "Well, you sent me to your rooms, telling me where I could find it. I'm not saying that I was meddling in your affairs or anything of that sort, but can you guess what I found laying out on your desk?" Alanna gave him the most innocent look she could muster, still knowing that he would never fall for it.  
  
        "You opened it?" Numair asked, the level of annoyance in his voice growing.  
  
        "It would be against my nature to pass by a lover's token with a locket on it that I could easily open, thus revealing a man's true love," Alanna grinned at her own cleverness, feeling an urge to poke her tongue out at her friend, but containing herself because of the present circumstances.  
  
        Numair sighed, bringing his arms up to rest crossed against his chest. The blanket covering his body fell down far enough to confirm Alanna's suspicions as to the lack of clothing on her two friends. Alanna could tell that both her friends, or at least Numair, were slightly annoyed with her presence. She could not blame them, knowing that if she herself were going through the same thing, she would want her privacy with her George.  
  
        "What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Alanna?" Daine asked hurriedly, wanting to get whatever it was over with.  
  
Alanna noticed this immediately, and chose her words carefully before answering. She did not wish to break the two of them up just now, during the last time they would see each other for a long while or maybe the last all together. "Oh, its nothing, Daine," Alanna assured her friend. Alanna wanted Daine to stay right where she was, with Numair, until it was time for her to go. Taking a breath, she continued, "Nothing that can't wait until later." Alanna had intentionally not mentioned what 'later' meant. She knew it was not something Daine wanted to hear about right now. "I'll be seeing the two of you then." Alanna added, once again not mentioning when or why she would see them. She let her lips twist into a quick smile just before she turned around and hastily made her way out of Numair's bed chamber. She felt more than a little awkward just now, not wanting to ponder what she had just waltzed in on.   
  
        She was happy for the two of them yes; finding strong and unbreakable love was a wonderful feat. Alanna ought to know by now, for she had found it years ago with a handsome thief of the Rogue. Alanna was also sad for her friends. They may have found love, but in a time like this it was a curse. Circumstance would tear them apart, and there was nothing either of them could do about it. It made Alanna wonder if it would have been better if they had never even fallen in love to begin with. It was then that a century old saying played like music in her mind, 'it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'  
  
***All of the moments that already passed  
  
We'll try to go back and make them last  
  
All of the things we want each other to be  
  
We never will be  
  
And that's wonderful, and that's life  
  
And that's you, baby  
  
This is me, baby  
  
And we are, we are, we are, we are  
  
Free  
  
In our love  
  
We are free in our love***  
  
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        Daine still lay on Numair's bed, body sprawled out under the covers. She was in a state of shock, to be truthful. She had thought nothing could add to the chaos of this morning, but once again she had been proved wrong. Alanna walking in on her mere moments ago had not been something in her plans. In fact, if she could turn back time, that would be something she would want to prevent. It was too late for that now, the deed was done.  
  
        Still unable to fully comprehend her morning so far, Daine shook her head, already red eyes welling up with tears. What did the gods think she was made of, to be able to stand all of the things they continuously threw at her? Since the day she was born, they had had it out for her. They had known all of what would happen to her, and they had made no move to prevent it, just as they offered her no help now. Not only had they known of the horrible events in store for Daine in her future, since her birth, but they had known of her great achievements as well. They had known of the good she would do for Tortall, and the lives she would change forever. It was because of their all-knowing nature, that disgusted Daine just now. If they had known it all, then surely they could have changed it. They were the all-powerful gods which mortals, even the most Gifted ones, worshiped everyday. If they were as great as they demanded mortals give them credit for being, then they had the power to help her now. Why hadn't they? She had prayed, by the gods she had prayed. They had heard her, of that much she knew. How could they not, given the fact that her own parents were minor gods themselves!?  
  
        Out of all the emotions that swirled through Daine's body and mind in this moment, the one she felt most was betrayal. She felt forsaken by the gods, the very beings who had so delicately created her. Were they truly so just of creatures as they portrayed themselves to be? Daine had to ask herself that now, for circumstances brought her to it.  
  
        Without a word, Daine threw the covers roughly off of her body, exposing herself to the crisp morning air. Goose bumps immediately covered her bare skin, making her shiver slightly. She paid no attention as to whether or not Numair watched her in curiosity or question. Just now, she had to do what she had to do with no one to stop her. She could not afford any distractions.  
  
        As soon as her bare feet made contact with the hard wood floor of Numair's bed chamber, a chill went rapidly up her spine. She gave herself no time to adjust, knowing that if she gave herself any unnecessary time, she would simply flop back into bed next to Numair, and never again attempt to rise. Any other morning, Daine would not have paid any attention to these simple acts, but not this morning. This morning was by no means a normal one, and she must treat it as such.  
  
        Having risen to her feet, Daine quickly scurried across the icy floor, walking fast on the tips of her toes to block out the cold surface of the floor. It was after she had made it to the privy that she realized that all she had worn the night before when she came back to Numair's rooms with him had been her ball gown. She couldn't very well dress in that for traveling (she chilled at the thought).   
  
        Sighing, Daine walked back into Numair's bed chamber. She found him sitting on the edge of his bed, clad only in his loin cloth. Upon entering, she felt and saw immediately his eyes on her. When she looked at him, he forced half a smile. He watched her with interest, eyes filled with a sort of longing that Daine saw right away. She stepped closer to where he sat, until she stood little more than a foot before him. He looked up, for a change, into her blue gray eyes, letting his own linger. "I don't have any of my clothes here," Daine said without much emotion. Her eyes were stone cold, but deep within them, Numair could find the person he knew and loved. He could see her true self behind her icy mask, and he could see that she was screaming with a mix of emotions. He didn't blame her for her coldness. He himself was bitter about everything. "I'd best shape shift and fly to my rooms and dress myself."  
  
        Numair nodded, running a hand nervously through his unruly raven black hair. Snapping his head up to look at his love once more, "What shall I do with your gown?" Numair inquired, looking suddenly to the floor at the side of his bed where the blue gray gown had been carelessly strewn the night before.  
  
        "Keep it here," Daine said quickly, eyes thoughtful, " I won't be needing it anymore. Hide it along with my under garments." For a moment it looked as if he had not quite understood the meaning of her last statement, but then his eyes lit briefly with recognition. When she shifted into bird form, all clothing she wore aside from her badger claw necklace would fall to the floor in the spot she had been previously standing.   
  
        Closing the distance between them, Daine hastily kissed his lips, pulling away before he had enough time to properly respond and kiss her back. Briefly, Daine let her lips curl into a smile, just before she found herself concentrating on the features of a golden eagle. Soon, arms turned to wings, mouth into beak, feet into talons, and skin to feathers as she took on its form. As soon as her body was in a completely shifted form, her under garments dropped to the floor where she had once stood. She stopped, hovering in mid air, and immediately soared in a small circle around the room, making her way out of the bed chamber window and into the outside air.  
  
***Then I see you standing there  
  
Wanting more from me  
  
And all I can do is try  
  
Then I see you standing there  
  
Wanting more from me  
  
And all I can do is try***  
  
  
  
        Daine soared over the air currents of the morning Tortallan sky, feeling spurts of wind ruffling her feathers as she flew. Her room was not far from Numair's, being that she had recently moved into the Mage's Wing of the palace. For her first two years in Tortall, Daine had taken up residence in the Rider barracks. She had found the inside rooms of the palace halls much more to her taste; the only fall back being she was farther from the People.  
  
        She soon found herself sitting on the ledge of the balcony of her room. She flew up to the door that led to the balcony, and undid the brass latch with her beak. She had always left this door unlocked, merely latched shut, for this purpose of gaining entrance to her rooms in bird form. Once safely inside where no one could stray a glance at her, she shifted back into her human form, landing naked on the cold wood floor of her main chambers. Daine quickly scrambled to her feet, not at all liking the feel of the cold wood floor on her bare skin. She quickly made her way into her bed chamber, the door clicking shut softly behind her.   
  
        Everything in Daine's rooms was already packed, save one set of clothing laid out on her bed to wear today. It was a plain set of work breeches and a white cotton shirt. Both shirt and breeches had dark spots from old stains, not to mention various holes from her line of work. She picked them up off the bed and stepped behind her dressing screen to dress herself. On her way she stopped at her dresser and pulled out a loincloth and breastband. Once dressed, Daine stepped back into her bed chamber from behind her dressing screen and went to her water basin to splash water on her face. The bed, bare of its sheets, blankets, pillows, and other trimmings, was all that was left in her room aside from this pale blue porcelain water basin. Neither of those items belonged to her, but to King Jonathan for his guests. Upon moving into this room from the Rider barracks, Daine had been provided with an oak wood bed and feather mattress that always stayed in this room, along with needed furnishings and a water basin. Everything else that had decorated Daine's walls and room, was all packed for they were Daine's personal belongings.  
  
        Just as Daine moved to her tiny hair dresser's table to begin running a comb through her unruly mass of curls, a firm knocking could be heard coming from the front door of her main chambers. Feeling a pit begin to build up in her stomach, along with a knot in her throat, Daine did not want to answer the door. She did not even care if it was Numair, for just now she was lost in her own world, and saying good-bye to everything in her own way.  
  
        Knowing that she had to do things against her will, Daine set down her brush and exited her bed chamber, heading into her main chambers. She hastily answered the door to find not Numair, as she had expected, but Alanna standing before her. Thinking that Alanna had come to talk to her about the event that had occurred within the last hour, Daine offered for Alanna to come inside, "Come in, Alanna," Daine said nervously, moving out of the doorway for her friend to enter. During these short few seconds, Daine felt as if she were being judged, and she did not like such a feeling.  
  
        "No, Daine, I can't," Alanna said, eyes sorrowful. She really did regret what she was about to say to her friend. "The Gallans have arrived much sooner than we had all anticipated, and your expected to come to meet them."  
  
        Alanna's grave news had an immediate reaction on Daine. She gasped suddenly, drawing her hand quickly up to her mouth. She felt her heart suddenly beating faster, and she felt distinctly as if she could no longer breath. Unable to hold back a faint any longer, Daine let herself fall ungracefully to the hard wood floor beneath her. Once she was on the ground, she drew her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees and squeezing tightly. Alanna, having taught Daine this trick, knew immediately what the young woman was doing. She was attempting to hold off a faint.  
  
        Immediately Alanna was stooping down onto the floor next to Daine, taking the young woman in her arms. "Shhhhh," Alanna whispered in her friend's ear, hoping to soothe her, "You'll be all right, Daine." Alanna hated to think about the huge emotional step Daine had taken with Numair on the night before she was to leave. Though Alanna fully agreed with her two friends as a couple, she did not think it was such a wise idea for them to make love for the first time when they did. Daine would have a hard enough time leaving as it is, without this new load of feelings, physically and emotionally. It all seemed to be too much, but if only she knew the half of it. There were things that even she didn't know, but only Daine and Numair knew what had truly happened.  
  
        "No, I won't!" Daine found the pressure this morning had brought suddenly becoming too heavy for her to bear. She wanted to run away, far away, and never come back. She would do anything, if it meant she did not have to return to Galla today. "But it doesn't matter, because I have to do this; I have to, Alanna. Its not as if I ever truly had a choice. Everyone in this entire gods blessed kingdom knows what I would do for the sake of Tortall!"  
  
        "I know, Daine, I know," Alanna tried to stay calm, but she felt the unfairness of this whole situation begin to possess her entire being. Anger coursed through her veins, spreading like wildfire. She had never been one who could easily control her temper, and now was definitely no exception. "And I'm proud of you for being so strong right now. I'm not sure I could find the strength to do what you're doing now."  
  
        Daine was stunned. Had her hero and good friend, the infamous Lioness and King's Champion just said what she thought she had said? It couldn't be that she had, could it? How could it be that she, Veralidaine Sarrasri, a basterd girl from a small village in Galla, could gain such a compliment from such a woman as the one that stood before her? Alanna was a living legend, one that would be remembered for generations to come. The legacy of the Lioness would be recorded in history, and would never be forgotten by any, of that Daine was sure. How was it that such a woman could claim that Daine herself, could do something she could not?  
  
        "You don't know what that means to me, Alanna," Daine said feebly through her tears.   
  
        "I do know, Daine, but now we've got to get a move on," Alanna said, reaching out a gentle hand to help the younger woman back to her feet. Daine felt quite a bit more reassurance by this point. "The sooner we get down there, the more time you'll get to spend saying your farewells."  
  
        At the word 'farewell,' a mental picture of Numair filled her mind. She felt a horrible pang of guilt rise up in her heart, but she put it aside for later. She had not the time for such things right now. Swallowing up all of her pride and feelings of sorrow, Daine held her head high, stood to her feet with the help of Alanna, and walked swiftly out of her rooms. She did not bother to glance back. She did not think that she could keep going at this pace if she did glance back. She loved this place that much, and letting go of it would surely be a difficult task.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
        Daine and Alanna had made it down to the main hall of the palace in a matter of minutes, having the knowledge of the palace hallways as if a map were forever written on the back of their hands. Daine looked over to her right at the older woman who walked beside her. Alanna had been her friend for all of the four years she had spent in Tortall, and for that she was grateful. She could think of many times that had the Lioness not been her friend, she may not have been able to make it through. Yes, the King's Champion would be a forever loyal friend to Daine, even if today was indeed the last day she would see her friend.  
  
        As Daine walked into the main hall at Alanna's side, her eyes scanned the room. She saw all of her friends, and acquaintances that she had gained upon coming to Tortall. Some of the men and women in front of her had been close to her from the very beginning, whereas others had become her friends over time. They all meant a great deal to her; much more than she would care to admit, though she knew it was true without a doubt.  
  
        Standing before her, near the back of the crowd, Daine saw the young man, Evin Larse. Evin had been one of her first friends in Tortall. She had met him in the Mess Hall, where he had pulled a dinner roll from behind her ear. She watched him now as he stood clad in his dirty work clothes, having not had the time to change since he had been up since the first bell with the other Riders.  
  
        Next to Evin, Daine saw another of her close friends of the Riders. Miri, like Evin, had befriended Daine in the beginning, making her one of Daine's closest friends in all of Tortall. Daine loved the young woman dearly, and would always remember her. Miri too was clad in her work clothes, caked with dirt from her morning's work. Daine preferred it this way though, so she could remember the Riders as she had always known them, covered in dirt.  
  
        There were too many people standing before her now for Daine to mentally think of how she knew each of them. She saw Sarge, Onua, Alanna, King Jonathan, Queen Thayet, Neal, everybody had come to see her off, and she was grateful. Daine had not fully known just how many people she was loved by. She would be sure to remember each of them forever, cherishing their memory. Daine looked at Sarge, and in the back of her mind she could hear his booming voice, which she was sure could only be matched by Mithros himself. She saw Onua, and she could see the older woman standing before a fire pit she had dug, and arguing with Numair over how the camp barrier should be put up. When she looked at Miri, she saw the young woman offering to take Daine's lessons with Numair, and saying that she thought he was cute. Looking at King Jonathan, Daine could remember her first impression of him upon her first time seeing him. She had been captivated by his enchanting, clear blue eyes. When she saw Thayet, the memory of their first meeting flashed before her eyes. She saw her mistaking the queen for just an average woman in the Queen's Riders. Seeing Alanna, Daine remembered the older woman insisting in accompanying herself and Numair to his rooms, as a chaperone on their trip to Carthak. She could see Numair's flushed and embarrassed face at the mere suggestion of having the need of a chaperon to begin with. Daine had many memories here, and they all stood before her. She felt a tear fall down her cheek, and she made no move to wipe it away. She was too caught up in this moment to care that tears were now streaming down her face like rain.  
  
Then her eyes fell on Numair and she felt her heart stop and her breath catch in her throat. Though he always had a way of standing out in the crowd as a result of his height, Daine had failed to notice him until this very moment. Perhaps this was because she did not want to see him. In her mind, she did not want to see him ever again. She wanted to forget him, so that this raging pain in her heart, mind, body and soul would fade along with her memory of him and would hurt her no more. She loved him, and it was her heart who begged her mind to give in to the pain, for it was worth it. The more Daine thought on it, the more her heart told her that no matter how much it hurt her, the time she had had with Numair was well worth it and that if she could do it all again, she would never dream of changing a thing. There still was, however, a tiny voice in the back of her mind that told her how much better she would be feeling right now, and maybe for the rest of her life, if that was how long she would be apart from him, if she had never even met him.  
  
Seeing him standing there in the middle of her crowd of friends, dressed in his usual white silk shirt and black breeches, made Daine feel an intense pull at her heart. She could see him standing before her, not moving, but simply staring at her and her alone. Since the moment she had entered the room, his eyes had been baring down upon her and her alone, not wavering in the slightest. When she would glance in his direction, it would seem as if he were not blinking, but simply staring. Finally, her eyes fell directly upon him, and she found herself unable to look away. Not knowing what else to do, she took a step forward to be closer to her friends. Her legs automatically moved in the direction of where Numair stood. Daine felt immediate temptation to reach out a hand to stroke his cheek, but knew how inappropriate that would look to all of the others around them.  
  
***Then I see you standing there  
  
Wanting more from me  
  
And all I can do is try  
  
Then I see you standing there  
  
I'm all I'll ever be  
  
But all I can do is try  
  
Try***  
  
Just as Daine was about to open her mouth to say something, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around to find that the hand belonged to Miri. Her friend had tears in her eyes, and as Daine soon should out, she herself did as well. "I can't believe you're really leaving!" Miri cried out, throwing her arms around Daine's neck. Since Daine's back was now to Numair, she wondered what sort of expression he held now, because she was paying little attention to him.  
  
"I can't either," Daine said calmly, tears streaming down her face. She had accepted all of this, but who knew how long this acceptation would last after she did not have her friends to comfort her any longer? How would things be when she was alone in Galla with no one to talk to aside from complete strangers?  
  
"Horselords, I'll miss you, Daine!" Miri voiced miserably, still clinging tightly to Daine. The girl merely nodded in response, voice too choked to speak properly. Before she had entered this room she had promised herself that she would not shed a single tear, and here she was crying her eyes out.  
  
"Here, here," came a familiar voice from beside Miri. Daine turned her head to see that Evin had come to join Miri in saying good-bye to Daine. She would miss them both dearly. "I'll miss you too, Daine," Evin added, sympathetic eyes baring down upon her. Though he was not crying, like Daine herself and Miri and some of the others present, he looked as if he felt the same way inside. It was hard for Daine to believe just how much she would be missed and by how many.  
  
"I'll always remember the both of you, Evin, Miri," Daine managed to choke out through her tears. She was not entirely sure what else she could say to them just now. The only other time she had suddenly left home was a time when she wanted to leave desperately and had no one to say good-bye to or miss anyway.  
  
Looking over her shoulder, Daine could see all of her friends; everyone she had ever loved. They were her life up until now. Looking at them now, knowing she would probably never see them again after today, made her eyes water with more unshed tears. She could not believe this was the end. When she had come to Tortall, she had never dreamed she would ever leave it. It had been the most wonderful place she could ever dream of living in. Now, like all dreams, this one had come to an end. It was time to go.   
  
***I wish I hadn't seen all of the realness  
  
And all the real people are really not real at all  
  
The more I learn the more I cry  
  
As I say good-bye to the way of life  
  
I thought I had designed for me***  
  
  
  
As Daine turned away from her friends and shifted her head to look at Numair, she felt her courage beginning to slip. How was she going to go through with this? She had faced immortals, monster's of the most terrible kind. She had faced off what to most people would be their worst fears. But now, she could not even face her own fate. This tiny little deed, she could not complete. But yet she had no choice in the matter. She had to do it, or die trying. She was a heroine of Tortall, and she would not abandon it now for her own childish fears. She would do what was expected of her, and what was needed of her. She just wished that it could be some other way, through some other deed that she could be saving the country that she loved now.   
  
Suddenly, Daine felt a gentle hand upon her shoulder. It was only then that she noticed that Numair had come to join her at her side. She had not even seen him approach, for she had been too far lost in her thoughts and her mind. Daine felt herself jump slightly when the feeling of his breath against the side of her neck could be clearly felt as he bent down to whisper into her ear. "Daine," Numair whispered, a hint of fear and trembling in his voice, "Follow me." Before he had finished these last two words, Daine knew for certain that he was afraid. Always, Daine had thought that she would never live to see the day when her long time friend could find any reason to fear, or to even express such fears if he ever did feel them. It was only now that she truly realized, that of course he feared, for he was every bit as much of a human as she. Fear was a natural human emotion, so he must feel it.  
  
Nodding her head in regard to her lover's request, Daine quietly followed. Looking both ways as she walked briskly behind her companion, Daine could see that none of the eyes of her gathered friends fell on her now. They were all deep in discussion, conversing nervously with one another. Daine was actually grateful that she had escaped their minds for the time being. She wanted to properly say good-bye to her lover, without all eyes on her.   
  
She followed Numair as he led her into a vacant hallway that connected to the room that they had just been in with all of Daine's friends. The shadows consumed them now, hiding them from the peering eyes of anyone who might seek them. They were completely alone. Daine took this time to finally look up at her lanky lover, and really gaze into his eyes. In those depths, she saw many emotions, but clearly she saw both love and fear. Those emotions swirled effortlessly on the surface of his dark orbs, dancing this way and that. Daine wondered if so much of what she herself was feeling could be seen just by simply gazing into her blue gray eyes.   
  
Without a moment's hesitation, Numair drew her roughly to his chest, enveloping her in a tight embrace. He fingered her back longingly with his hands, and felt shivers run rapidly up his spine as she did the same for him. He could feel his heart pounding mercilessly within his chest, a thunder rushing through his heart and mind. He did not by any means want to let go of the figure that lay limply in his arms. For her sake and for his, he did not want to let go. Just as Daine had to take a step of utmost courage today, Numair did as well. Daine would have to leave her home and the friends she had grown to love behind and return to a place she loathed and feared. Numair though, he would have to watch her do it. He would have to watch and do nothing as the person he loved most, and was always so protective of went through more pain than he himself could bear. He would have to let her go as he watched her ride away today, disappearing over the horizon. Yes, he too had to take an enormous step today. But he would do it. What other choice did he have?  
  
***Then I see you standing there  
  
Wanting more from me  
  
And all I can do is try  
  
Then I see you standing there  
  
I'm all I'll ever be  
  
But all I can do is try  
  
Try***  
  
From the next room, Numair could hear the sound of excited mumbling and chatter. He knew what it had to be, and his heart fluttered helplessly with a pang of fear. The Gallans had likely arrived. He had to say good-bye now, and he was in no way ready. Feeling rushed, Numair lifted a hand to Daine's face. With trembling hands, Numair lifted her chin so that she was looking up at him. She looked so timid and afraid just now, that it broke his heart. He never wanted to see her look at him like that again, not ever. He felt a sudden urge, and he quelled it by bringing his lips roughly down to meet her own. He kissed her with a passionate desire, filled with hunger and longing such that he had never known. Despite his efforts to hold them back, tears began streaming steadily down his face. He had not cried so freely in a very long time. He would often shed a tear or two, but this was different. Numair felt as if his heart was being ground to dust when she kissed him back and an intensity that only matched his own. Reaching up his spare hand, he moved it to the back of her head where he entangled it in her mass of smoky brown curls. He pressed her head closer still to his own, pulling her further into their kiss. She moaned in response, finding that now she herself had tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
The two lovers broke away for air only once. They cherished any contact that they might have just now, knowing that since the Gallans have arrived, this will be their last. Finally though, realizing that they had to talk and sort things out, they broke apart. They each looked into the other's eyes, captivated by what they saw. " I don't want to say good-bye," Daine voiced through her tears, eyes pleading with him to make things right. For once though, he was incapable of saving her. He did not by any means like that feeling of helplessness.  
  
"I don't ever want to say good-bye too you either, magelet," Numair's voice shook from crying. Looking at him now, Daine found herself surprised that he had broken down in tears. She could not remember a time since she had met him that she had seen him crying so fully and openly. This frightened her more than she cared to admit. Gods, what wouldn't she give to get her life back?  
  
"Will you promise to write me?" Daine asked him, reaching out a tender hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. Her efforts were in vein, for he did not cease.  
  
"Of course," Numair assured her, stroking her cheek lovingly with his spare hand. Daine noted that his fingers shook terribly, his entire lanky form was trembling now. She felt so vulnerable at the sight of her long time friend in such a mess of emotions. It was such a foreign sight to her, and it would stick in her memory forever, seeing him like this. More than anything, she just wanted it all to go away. She wanted him to return to being the cheerful, boyish mage she knew so well and had come to love so dearly. "And you'll write too?"  
  
Not trusting herself to speak, Daine merely nodded. She leaned into his form, burying her face in his chest, seeking comfort. He held her to him tightly, protectively. She knew though, as did he, that he could not protect her from what she would face today. Neither of them liked that idea in the slightest. "Good-bye, Numair," Daine choked out in a cracked whisper. Her voice was filled with tears, and at her words she could feel her lover's hold only tighten around her.  
  
In response to her words, her heartbreaking words, Numair tilted her chin up so that she was looking directly into his eyes, and he opened his mouth to say the words he so desperately needed to say, but he couldn't do it. Again he tried, but the words would not come. Gods give me strength, he voiced a silent prayer in his mind. "Go-no, no, "Numair tried again to say the words, but then he realized that even with the help of the gods he could never do it. Instead, he would have to say something else, something that he knew might never happen no matter how hard he tried to make it pan out that way, "What's the use of good-byes? I'll be seeing you again, soon, so why should I make this sad?"  
  
Daine looked up at her lover in disbelief. She wanted so desperately to believe him, but how could she when today, everything she had believed in was being stripped away from her? She continued to stare at him, not knowing really how to respond. She just wished that he would say those words for her now, to let her know that he was all right, if not for any other reason. Even if he did not mean it, she wished he would just say it. But she knew that he wouldn't. "I wish I could believe you," She said, forcing a small smile at the corner of her mouth. With that said, Daine stood on the tips of her toes and drew his face back down to her own. She eased her lips over his, letting all of her thoughts and emotions and love pour into that kiss. She knew it would be her last that she gave him now, and she wanted it to leave its mark forever.  
  
***All of the moments that already passed  
  
We'll try to go back and make them last  
  
All of the things we want each other to be  
  
We never will be  
  
And that's wonderful, and that's life  
  
And that's you, baby  
  
This is me, baby  
  
And we are, we are, we are, we are  
  
Free  
  
In our love  
  
We are free in our love***  
  
Releasing herself from the arms of her lover, Daine took a step back from Numair. She looked back at him only briefly before turning on her heal and making her way back into the main room where her friends were gathered. She was faintly aware of the sound of footsteps coming from behind her, so she knew that her lover was mimicking her actions. They soon reached the main room once more, this time to find that the attention was once again on Daine. Immediately, both Daine and Numair noticed the new additions to the room, for their presence was so demanding. Up near the front talking to Alanna stood a tall, fully armored knight. He had a very full form, looking to be very strong and broad shouldered. He had a mass of curly black hair atop his head, but no facial hair that covered his tanned skin. To Daine, he did not look Gallan, but Tyran. She cringed when she saw Alanna waving her hand towards her, motioning for her to approach.  
  
Daine did as she was told and walked briskly over to where Alanna stood, leaving Numair behind all together as he slowly approached the front of the crowd. Looking over and into the eyes of the older woman, Daine found that Alanna looked back at her with eyes filled with sympathy. Daine turned to face the new man, finding he looked down on her with not sympathy, or even the slightest amount of kindness. Daine could tell immediately that this was indeed a hard man that stood before her.  
  
After what felt to Daine like an eternity, Alanna finally spoke up. Daine wondered what Numair was thinking as he watched all of this. What did he think of the dark man? "Daine, this is Sir Donovan of Bertram," Alanna said, motioning towards the knight. At this gesture, the knight nodded his head slightly, a sort of bow. "He is to be the one sent by King Jarlath to transport you to Galla."  
  
Daine had to admit, those words stung more than she could imagine they would. Everything that she had tried to imagine over the past few weeks was suddenly very real. It was not a reality that she liked in the slightest, but it was one she had to face. Though Daine knew that the polite response to this knight would be to bow to him in return, she could not bring herself to do so. Instead, she just stood without moving a muscle, staring intently at him. The man, Donovan they called him, looked back at her equally as hard, as if in a silent challenge. His face held a look of utmost distaste, and that disgusted Daine. The least her captors could do was be kind to her, for they were stripping her from the home she knew and loved. But Daine knew by now that life and all that was in it was unfair, so kindness in a situation like this was too much to even hope for.  
  
Finally, the man broke his gaze away from Daine and moved it to no one in general. It was then though that Daine noticed that his eyes fell upon Numair. Donovan looked at the lanky mage with a look of what appeared to be interest, though not a healthy one. Daine looked into the eyes of the dark knight, and tried silently to read his eyes. She found them to be emotionless, revealing nothing to her. Daine had never met a single person in all of her life that had managed to be so stern and so hard that they were capable of barring their emotions and closing the windows their eyes provided. She could not help but wonder what the knight could have gone through and what kind of person he could be to have achieved something so cruel. "We must make haste in leaving, Lady Sarrasri, " Donovan barked sternly, voice void of any emotion. Daine noticed that his eyes still bore down on Numair, who was now glaring back with a look to kill. She watched the two men, observing their silent battle, bloodless battle. "The journey back to the capital is a long one, and his Majesty is not one to be known for his patience, nor am I."  
  
"The hostlers have prepared Daine's mount and her belongings," Alanna replied, knowing well that Daine did not want to speak just now. Alanna had of course been right, and Daine was thankful that she had a friend that knew her so well without her having voiced any sort of discomfort of the situation.  
  
"The mount shall stay," Donovan replied firmly, voice cold as steel. There was now an odd glint in his eyes, as if he knew that these words would further break Daine's heart. Upon hearing them, Daine took in a sharp breath, eyes shining as if she might protest. She could never leave Cloud behind! Cloud was her family, and the only friend that would be able to accompany her to her new home. Out of everyone in all of Tortall, man or beast, Cloud was the one Daine had known the longest. She loved Cloud dearly, and could not imagine making this trip without her.  
  
"I'd prefer she came," Daine's voice was every bit as firm as Donovan's, though she knew well that she shook with fear on the inside. Donovan's eyes snapped immediately towards her. His eyes held a look that would melt solid rock, and Daine found herself swallowing hard. "His Majesty would not approve of such a waste of horse flesh residing in his stables. The beast stays." At this last stern, cold, statement, Daine could have sworn she saw a smirk playing at the edge of Donovan's mouth. It made her blood boil.  
  
Just as Daine opened her mouth to reply hastily to this man to watch himself, Alanna stepped roughly on her foot, causing her to recoil back a step in pain. In this time, Alanna herself spoke up in Daine's stead, "Are you certain, Sir Donovan, that there is no possible way that Daine's horse may accompany her?" Alanna asked, voice entirely polite. Daine could sense the edge in Alanna's tone however, though she was certain Donovan could not. Anyone who had known Alanna for as long and as well as Daine did would know that the Lioness was incapable of not having some sort of harsh thought towards a man such as Donovan, especially under the circumstances. Daine just hoped that the lady knight's temper would stay in rein. For that matter, she hoped that she would be able to keep her own in check. The Lioness was not the only one who was known for her temper.  
  
"If I had any doubts in my order, lady knight, then I would not have given it," Donovan spat, raising his voice as he said the words 'lady knight.' Daine saw Alanna's eyes grow wide, and she could see that the older woman's hold on her temper was slipping rapidly. "If there are no further interruptions, then it would please me to leave."  
  
Alanna turned to Daine, her eyes searching the young woman. Daine did not know what the older woman was looking for, or how it could possibly help now, but in that moment she let everything that she was feeling show clearly in her eyes. She felt so vulnerable in that moment, but she wanted for her friend to understand. Alanna gazed intently at her, almost unrelenting. Finally though, she broke away. "Follow me, Daine, Sir Donovan," Alanna said finally, voice holding what appeared to be annoyance. Daine was glad that she did not have to see the Lioness confront Donovan everyday.  
  
***All I know  
  
Is everything is not as it's sold  
  
but the more I grow the less I know  
  
And I have lived so many lives  
  
Though I'm not old  
  
And the more I see, the less I grow  
  
The fewer the seeds the more I sow***  
  
As they filed out of the oak wood doors that led to the palace grounds, Daine could subconsciously see Numair following closely behind. She could not help but wonder why he had not come close, if not to be near her, but at least to inspect who would be taking her away. Perhaps he did not want to know. Perhaps he was afraid. There were many possibilities, and Daine was in no mood to ponder them all, so she just let the thought pass. As they walked though, she began to move her way over to Alanna, and put a hand on the older woman's arm, signaling her to fall back a ways and let Donovan take the lead. The lady knight nodded, doing as Daine requested, though Daine could see a slight annoyance in the woman's features that said that she did not like letting this dark knight get anything over her. Daine understood. "Alanna, " Daine whispered frantically into her friend's ear, "I can't leave Cloud behind!" Daine hissed, making her point clear.  
  
Alanna paused for a moment, sighing before responding to Daine's plea. "I know Daine, and I fully understand your reasoning, but I don't think there's anything you can do about it," Alanna replied honestly. She hated to admit being helpless, but what other choice did she have? Donovan seemed firm in his decision to not allow Cloud to accompany Daine, and he would surely stick to it.  
  
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Daine's voice pleaded with Alanna to help her, but Alanna just didn't see how she could. It seemed to be an impossible situation.  
  
"No, Daine, I don't think there is," Alanna replied sadly, giving her friend a look of utmost pity. She hated to see all of this happen to Daine, and thought unrelentingly of how unfair it all was. "All I can do is promise you that I'll personally see to it that she's taken care of here."  
  
"I can't leave without her, Alanna," Daine voiced stubbornly. She couldn't leave without Cloud. She couldn't, and she wouldn't! "She's family!"  
  
"Daine, I know you don't want to hear this right now, but you'll hear it anyway. Life is a fickle thing. Nothing that goes on in life is predictable, and this entire situation proves that. None of us can help what's happening now, and I'm sorry, but you've got to be brave and take it head on. I don't know anything better to tell you now than that," with her speech made, Alanna felt better. She had thought a lot about what was happening to Daine, and this was the conclusion she had come to. She wanted Daine to know it too.  
  
Daine merely sighed, feeling her eyes begin to burn with tears. The walk they were taking to the stables seemed to go on forever. It was like a death sentence to Daine, like the walk of the condemned to the gallows. Gods, she wished it would end and she could get this all over with. Finally, they reached the stables to find Cloud saddled up and ready for the journey, waiting for her rider. Daine's heart split at the sight of her friend whom she couldn't take along. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. All of Daine's belongings were packed in the boxes and bags that sat at Cloud's feet. Daine watched as Donovan signaled for some of the other lesser Gallans to gather it up and load it into one of the carts they had brought along. They jumped at his barked order, and immediately began loading. Donovan then turned to Stefan, who stood next to Cloud, "Unsaddle this beast," he barked the order to Stefan, expecting the man to jump at his orders. Stefan would not move a muscle.  
  
"This pony belongs to Lady Daine, sir, and she is to be taking all of her things with her," Stefan replied firmly, voice calm. Daine had to admire the hostler just then. He had such an air about him just now that she would not care to cross him.  
  
"I will not have that beast setting foot in my king's stable," Donovan replied, his tone sharper than a double-edged sword. He stuck his nose high in the air as he spoke these words to Stefan. The look on his face said it all. He showed distaste to someone with such a low position as hostler to even daring to speak a challenging word to him. "Mind you, watch your tongue, hostler." The entire time, his posture, tone, and expression remained completely calm.  
  
When Daine expected Stefan to bite back with a vocal defense, a new voice split the air. This voice was all too familiar to her. "Daine will not be leaving without Cloud," the voice belonged to none other than Numair. As he spoke, he advanced towards where Donovan, Daine and Alanna stood. His eyes darted only briefly to Daine, but then he turned his entire attention to Donovan. "Either you swallow your pride, and allow Daine to take her pony, or Daine will not be going at all."   
  
Numair's voice was firm, his challenge made. A series of gasps and hushed whispers rose up from the crowd who stood nearby. No one could believe what the realm's greatest mage had just done. Daine herself could not believe it. Numair stood directly before Donovan now, eyes bearing down upon the dark knight in a silent challenge. Finally, Donovan answered Numair's challenge. He chuckled heartily, as if in some sort of amusement. He nodded his head as he looked Numair over from foot to head. Then, he spoke. "The moment I set eyes on you in the crowd, I knew you'd be trouble," Donovan mused, still lightly chuckling. Daine had to admit she was surprised. She hadn't imagined that this cold man was capable of any sort of emotion. "That has always been a gift of mine. Always, when I see a man, I know if he will cause me any trouble. In a crowd, I can pick out which man will challenge me. It does not change the foolishness of your act, mage. The beast stays, and there isn't anything you can do to make that any different. You'd best not even try."  
  
Again, Numair let his eyes bear down on the man. Though it looked as if he was going to continue to fight through words, Daine knew better. Numair was losing the hold he had on his actions, and it was only a matter of time before he let Donovan have it. She did not have to wait long.  
  
In an instant, Numair had run towards the dark knight. Donovan was taken by surprise, and when Numair's body collided roughly with his own, he lost his footing and fell to the ground. Numair pressed him firmly to the ground, letting his fists fly wildly into the air and coming swiftly back down upon the man. His first punch landed on Donovan's jaw, causing the man to moan slightly, and his second on Donovan's right eye. He never landed his third. Being a knight, Donovan had learned to master swift tactics of fighting. Numair was a mage that relied on magic, and didn't stand a chance against him in a physical brawl such as this. Immediately, Donovan grabbed Numair's fist and directed it away from its target. It hit the ground, causing Numair to recoil in sudden pain. He did not have time to recover, for Donovan was on him instantly. The knight landed a hard punch against Numair's face, knocking the mage backwards and onto the ground. Blood immediately began dripping from this newly formed would.  
  
Faintly, Numair could hear Daine crying his name in the distance, but the blood pounding in his mind clouded out all other sounds. All there was now was the knight who was advancing upon him. In this moment, Numair forgot his Gift, and thus did not think to use it. Had he not been so careless, he would have stood a much better chance. Donovan landed a punch in Numair's side, and then stood up to begin kicking him. That was when Daine ran forward, darting immediately between the two men. She through herself on top her secret lover, guarding him from the oncoming blow. Donovan's kick had been aimed for Numair, but instead it landed swiftly against Daine's side. She cried out from the sudden pain, recoiling back and rolling off of Numair. "No!" Numair yelled out in frustration, not wanting his love to get hurt.   
  
***Then I see you standing there  
  
Wanting more from me  
  
And all I can do is try  
  
Then I see you standing there  
  
I'm all I'll ever be  
  
But all I can do is try  
  
Try***  
  
In the time that Daine had moved inbetween the two men, Stefan the groomsman and a nearby stable hand had managed to grab Numair by the arms and pull him away, holding him tightly so that he would not try to get away and again attack the knight. Their quick actions paid off, for the fight was stopped. Immediately Numair looked down towards his young love as she stood to her feet, rubbing her side tenderly where she had been kicked. Donovan was clad in heavy knight's boots, and it was bound to hurt to be kicked by them. When Stefan saw that Numair's attention had then turned to Daine, he and the stable boy let Numair go.   
  
Numair rushed immediately to her side, fighting the urge to take her into his arms and hold her tightly to his chest, even in front of all of these people. "Daine, are you all right," Numair whispered so that she alone could hear him once he reached her side.  
  
"I'm fine, Numair," Daine assured him, continuing to rub her side. It was a lie though, she knew. She was not fine just now, and it was not because of her sore ribs.  
  
Just as Numair was about to reply to his love, he watched as an arm gripped her shoulder tightly, turning her around to face the one who had interrupted. It was Donovan, and he looked livid with rage. "Get away from that mage!" Donovan hissed, his voice for the first time this day showing a heated emotion. He was angry, and to Daine he resembled a rabid bear. She did not dare say this aloud, however. She did not have time to follow through with Donovan's orders, for he was completing them for her. He began roughly pulling her away from Numair. The mage watched helplessly as this happened. He did not dare start another brawl, for he knew that Jonathan would be angry enough with him over the last one. Besides, what had it achieved?   
  
"If there is nothing further to deal with, we shall be on our way," Donovan yelled to the crowd and everyone gathered. His voice was laced with a burning anger. Daine had a feeling this was not going to be a pleasant journey. "Lady Sarrasri, say your good-byes!"  
  
Daine's eyes fell immediately to the grass covered ground. She seemed to be studying the print of her boots. Without bothering to lift her head, Daine said softly, "Good-bye to you all," Daine voiced sadly, a tear rolling down her cheek. She then lifted her head and continued, "I'll never stop missing all of you, or Tortall."   
  
With that, she turned to look at her lover one last time. He stood there, gazing directly at her. The only thing that would break his gaze was when he had to blink. He seemed captivated by her form. Daine watched as tears began rolling down his cheeks. Her heart was breaking, but she had to turn away. Her body longed to go to him, to have him, but she had to let go. She had to turn her back on him, possibly forever. She had to leave now, most likely to never return. In her eyes, the life of Veralidaine Sarrasri was over. All that defined her had been stripped away. Who was she if she did not live in the country she had risked so much for, with the people she cared more for than herself. She already knew the answer to that. Now, she was nothing. Turning her back on Numair, on her friends, on her home and everything she loved, Daine turned and walked away. She followed Donovan to the awaiting caravan and took hold of the reins of the tall, bay colored knight's horse that awaited her. She blocked her wild magic immediately out of her mind. She was in no mood to converse with the People right now. In that last, swift step, Daine left behind everything she knew and loved. Most of all, Daine left behind her love. The life she had designed so perfectly for herself was gone forever, blowing away with the wind. Life as she knew it, was over.  
  
***All of the moments that already passed  
  
We'll try to go back and make them last  
  
All of the things we want each other to be  
  
We never will be  
  
And that's wonderful, and that's life  
  
And that's you, baby  
  
This is me, baby  
  
And we are, we are, we are, we are  
  
Free  
  
In our love  
  
We are free in our love  
  
I wish I hadn't seen all of the realness  
  
And all the real people are really not real at all  
  
The more I learn the more I cry  
  
As I say good-bye to the way of life  
  
I thought I had designed for me***  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
A/N: Phew! *wipes sweat from forehead* I'm so glad I got that over with! This chapter has been weighing on me for a while, and I can easily say its the hardest one I've ever written....there is one coming up in my other fic that is possibly equally hard, but I'm not certain just yet. I hope you liked this chapter guys! I poured a lot into it, and it'd kill me if I didn't do a good job....PLEASE review, and give me your honest opinion! I'm at the point where it'll only hurt me if you hold back...if you don't like it, tell me so! PLEASE REVIEW WHETHER IT BE GOOD OR BAD!!! (also, I promise to get myself in gear and update more!!!) ^_^ 


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